Phoenix Rising
by invinciblebears
Summary: "In order to rise from its own ashes, a Phoenix first must burn." Klaroline, AU, future lemons. Octavia E. Butler quote for description. xo
1. I

****_"In order to rise from its own ashes, a Phoenix first must burn." _  
― Octavia E. Butler

* * *

The dust beneath the gravel kicked into a cloud as one Caroline Forbes scurried through the walkway leading towards, or in her case, away from her home since childhood. It was a modest arrangement, a simple one bedroom hut that served more as a shelter from the elements than anything else. The rising sun shone against her irises' in the most mocking of ways, telling her that though her life has just ended—everyone else continues on, and happily at that.

Caroline was never one to complain about much.

Her mother was killed by an animal when she was an infant, leaving her without a single memory of the blonde haired woman. Despite that fact, or perhaps because of it, Caroline would spend most of her teenage life dreaming about the woman that her mother had been. While her father would spit out the word's "scum" or "wench" if provoked, she'd taken the habit of substituting those words with better ones, such as (but not limited to) "angel," "brave" and "courageous."

She proudly modeled herself after what she pictured her mother to be.

Some odd months after her thirteenth birthday, her father had shown up to their small little hut completely inebriated for the first time. At the time, the reasons for his violent outbursts were lost on her. Eventually she made out enough of his drunken ramblings to know that he was projecting his anger towards her mother onto her, especially because she had inherited her blonde hair and blue eyes. He hated that about her, just like he hated her.

It was on the eve of Caroline's fourteenth birthday when he struck her for the first time. It certainly hadn't been the last occurrence like it, however.

He became a full-blown alcoholic, but perhaps worse than that: he was also an avid gambler. '_An addicted gambler.' _Caroline found her mind correcting herself, deciding to ignore the fact that it was irrelevant either way.

As the daughter of a blacksmith, she was expected to pull her fair share as it was. With the added pressure of her father no longer bothering to do his work, she had to rely solely upon herself to put food on the table. She made her own soap, soap that she was quite proud of. Not only did it smell delightful, but the process of making each bar took long enough for her to be able get lost inside her head.

It wasn't a perfect life. She had to wake up at four in the morning basically every day to make more soap for the following days, and then set up her cart in town to sell it. She worked hard day and night to make sure some gambling alcoholic that she called 'papa' wouldn't drink himself to death, and to ensure at least an inkling of meat clung upon her frail bones. It wasn't perfect, but it was her life—and complaining about it was fruitless.

So, she knew her reaction to the night's events were spot-on. Her life had been full of hardship, but she'd always justified that everyone's was. She couldn't justify this. Who else had a father who would just –just sell her off? Give her away to someone that was about to murder HIM only minutes before!

He hadn't even shown the decency to look guilty! He only told her to pack her belongings, that they were taking a walk somewhere. Caroline was smart enough; she knew that whenever they took walks, it was for a purpose. They were too poor to afford a carriage, or even a singular horse, and walking was often the only option.

Caroline quite enjoyed walking for sport. The woods behind their small hut shielded the most beautiful lake that she'd had the pleasure of seeing. When she was little, she'd often swim in it and entertain dreams of being a mermaid—living forever in the water, where her snotty neighbor Molly couldn't get her. As she got older, the fantasy progressed. She dreamt of living in the trees and making due off of any forest animals or berries she might find. She went as far as to imagine killing some woodland creature in the winter for warmth.

She may be naïve about a lot of things, but her hunting ability wasn't on that list. She'd die within a week. Thinking about it now, though, the option seemed much better than dying at the hands of some stranger that her father enraged.

Instead of packing her things, she insisted to be informed of the situation. It was then when he drunkenly recalled the events that had transpired that evening. She could almost picture it.

Her father bumping into someone who was probably twice his size. The man demanding an apology but in return only getting a poorly coordinated punch that was aimed for his jaw, only to be landed on his eye. The man giving him a final warning and walking away, only to realize later that her _precious papa_ had stolen all of his coins. Her _precious papa _bargaining her life for his as if she wasn't his only child.

Without quite realizing it, she was heading in the direction of her safe haven. Hot, steamy tears fell down her face now though; she was unable to hold back the scorching emotions that she'd tried to delay any longer.

She felt her legs give in beneath her and the tears overwhelm her. What had she done to deserve this fate? She prayed before every meal, she never spoke ill of anyone, and she was fairly sure that she hadn't known the kindness of the human form once in her entire life—but she tried to show it to others as often as possible. So why her? How could this truly be her fate—her destiny?

The shade of the trees looming overhead masked the sunniness that had previously mocked her, but as the trembling words slipped past her lips, Caroline couldn't help looking to the sky anyways: "what have I done to upset you, Father?"

The lack of response only brought upon more of a downpour.

"WHY ME?" She howled to the sky in agony, not bothered by the dirt infesting the golden locks that reached her rear end.

She was met with only the echoes reverberating back to her, reminding the young woman once again of how truly alone she was.

Caroline wasn't sure when she fell asleep on the forest floor; after all, tears have a funny way of sneaking sleep upon you. She'd expected to open her eyes and be met with the humidity that went hand in hand with the summer afternoons in Massachusetts. Instead, she blinked several times when she realized that it was the same hut in which she was born. She sat up so quickly that she was caught in a dizzy spell.

Surely that hadn't been a dream. She was sure of it. It was just last dawn when her father returned home to inform her of her approaching departure. Her small cot was across the room from her fathers, and it was there that he laid in the usual drunken stupor that took up his days.

It was eerie, how similar to any other day this appeared to be. Outside she could hear the Smiths' chickens clucking and their mother, Maggie, calling for her youngest to come inside. She looked around the hut for proof- anything to prove to herself that she wasn't going insane. Finally, she spotted it. The ceramic vase she had thrown at her papas' head earlier that morning, before she made her dash to the woods.

A wince made way to her face before it could be stopped as she touched the spot in her arm that would surely bruise. She paid for throwing it, just as she paid for being alive.

With the realization that she wasn't crazy came the realization that she didn't have much time. Caroline Forbes was a survivor first and foremost, and she wasn't about to be brought down just because her papa proved himself useless once again. She was better than this fate, and she absolutely refused to settle for it.

Her throat tightened as she began to pack away the minimal clothes that she had, her mind wandering to what would happen should this mystery person come for her. No doubt his beatings would be worse than papas (after all, papa only punished her because he loved her—with love comes discipline, as he always says) and he might even... her throat constricted even more, if that was possible, as she thought of the physical things that could happen.

She wasn't completely innocent. She'd fallen in love with a boy who attended her church only two years ago, at the ripe age of fifteen. Tyler had been her first love, her first kiss, and the first man she'd let touch her intimately. Although they never went beyond curious touching, Caroline wasn't naïve enough to think that this man—who now OWNS her body—wouldn't take advantage of that fact.

The blonde found herself hurrying to pack even more with those thoughts plaguing her.

The young woman was already halfway out the door before she found herself pausing. She'd somehow gotten from the forest floor to the hut and there was only one person who could've brought her back to the safety of her home. Turning quickly, she walked the three steps it took to reach the cot that her papa had fallen asleep on.

She was always amazed at the fact that he looked so harmless when overtaken by slumber. For once, he looked like a free man, instead of one plagued by his sins and misfortunes. She knelt beside him and pressed a firm kiss on his cheek. "Goodbye, papa."

With those parting words, she left her life behind once and for all, in hopes that out of the ashes a phoenix would rise.

* * *

I knew that I wanted to write this fic the second that they introduced Klaroline to us! Just a few notes before you go on your way. This is supposed to be set in the very late 1800s- early 1900s, right when cars were becoming popular but still only for the wealthy.

If you aren't into angst, don't shy from this just because of Car's dark past—the whole point of it is to show how it's only made her stronger. I'm a sucker for female leads that actually deserve it.

Finally, this is my first ever TVD fic! I've done dozens of others throughout the years, but I always find it weird when breaking in a new fandom. Some reviews might make me feel welcomed. ; )


	2. II

Dun dun dun! Introducing Klaus this chapter, ladies and gents. I'll keep this short and sweet. A) Thanks to anyone who followed and reviewed-if you continue to do that, there will be Klaroline lovin' so much sooner. B) I am amazed at myself for enjoying the Bekah-Car dynamic so much. I was really dreading writing it, but they're so similar in a lot of ways… I like to think that that drove them apart on the show, but together in this fic.

Also, I really need some help with the plot. I have too many half-thought ideas and I think that a fresh mind would really help. Unfortunately, I have no friends who watch TVD so they would think I'm talking crazy. If you don't mind the plot being semi-spoiled (I have a few tricks up my sleeves still) then PM me! It'd be much appreciated.

Enjoy. Xoxo

* * *

Caroline Forbes has walked the road in which her dirty shoes scuffed upon many times. The long, heavily shaded dirt road led straight into town. She walked it practically every day, only in that case she was wearing her church clothes or carrying a bucket of soap. Now it was simply her and her small bag of dresses, all of which she was positive would be wrinkled to oblivion when she retrieved them.

Should one head towards town or away from it? That was the question. There were many hills surrounding Brooksville, which included the particularly daunting-looking hill that was in the opposite direction of town. She had no food or water, and decided that perhaps Tyler would take her in for the night—before she fled, once and for all.

It was due to these choices that led her on the hour walk to the town square, enjoying the little patterns that the sun made through the shade of the trees above. She'd never been anywhere other than Brooksville, but she was almost certain that it was the most beautiful place in the world. Its natural beauty paled in comparison to any other that she'd seen in paintings or read about in books.

One night, it seemed like forever ago now, her aunt Carissa had visited her. She was the sister of her mother and before the night that she arrived, Caroline had no idea that she existed. How she'd felt when she saw the woman just teetered on the edge of disappointment and relief.

The relief she felt was due to the fact that there was another world outside of Brooksville, a world containing family members she has never met. The disappointment made way to her stomach when she noticed the lack of similarities between the two women. Yes, her aunt had the same golden hair as she. But instead of blue eyes were ones of beautiful emerald green, and instead of the pale complexion that Caroline seemed cursed with even if she spent her days in the fields by her house, her aunt had been graced with the most beautiful tanned skin that she'd ever laid eyes on.

She appeared to Caroline as if she was an angel, sent upon her way to make sure the blonde didn't feel alone. She'd shown up on the day of her fourteenth birthday in her elegant carriage, all floppy hats and corsets. She insisted on taking her niece to see the ocean when she'd learnt that the young woman had never laid eyes upon it.

"You've lived a mere day's journey from the coast your entire life, and yet you haven't gotten to marvel in its beauty once. Honestly, what sort of life have you been leading, young Caroline?" She could practically still hear the mysterious woman's words echoing in her ears, even three years later.

She recalled the blush that had crept on her face as she looked outside of the carriage window onto the same road that she was walking now. "I've lived a simple life, aunt," she had replied, her tone more hard than she had intended, "however, that does not mean I have not marveled in its beauty. The good Lord show's it to me through the method of meadows, forests and elegant creatures, so please hold your belittling tongue."

The laugh that had escaped her aunt was one of surprise, and it rung upon her ears just as the previous words had. It was a magnetic laugh, one that made Caroline more convinced than she had previously been that her aunt had many suitors lining up around her. "Dear, sweet Caroline. Ralph will try to steal your spark, if that forming bruise is any evidence, but you mus'nt let him. You remind me dearly of your mother, as I'm sure you remind him, as well. You're above his misery, Caroline. You're special. Promise me you will not forget that, dear niece."

Caroline had never promised, instead only continued to stare out of the window. When they finally reached the ocean, she marveled in the fact that her aunt had been correct. She hadn't seen beauty to this caliber before. As the first gust of wind brought the smell of salt to her nose, words formed without her consent: "Will you take me with you, aunt?"

"Unfortunately, I cannot. I regrettably admit that I do wish the circumstances were different. Not to fear, however. Just as I am certain that we are kinfolk, I am certain we will be together again."

The young blonde was snapped out of her daydream as she heard a loud humming noise that accompanied the approach of an automobile. She didn't turn to confirm her suspicions, but the sound was coming from behind her and approaching at a fairly quick rate… there was simply nothing else it could've been, anyways.

Without really meaning to, Caroline glanced down at her state of dress. Her long maroon dress was stained with dirt and wrinkles, just as her hair was knotted to oblivion and her shoes were a step away from falling apart. She was sure whoever was wealthy enough to own an automobile would look down upon her as they passed; she was used to people looking down on her, however, and raised her chin with false pride as she continued her journey.

The buzzing noise didn't come and go, however. Instead, it followed her each step slowly until she was forced to turn and meet her stalker. In front of her stood a beautiful Curved Dash Oldsmobile; She's read about the car in the paper, it was the first car of its kind—a gasoline powered automobile that anyone could buy, should they be able to afford it. There were only 600 in production, the article had stated, but next year Eli Olds hoped to at least double that number.

Her gaze shifted towards the beautiful woman perched in such a car. She wore an elegant cream dress, likely without a wrinkle to be noticed, and a large hat to shield her face from the harmful impact that the sun makes when you aren't under the protection of the trees. Her long, curly golden hair spiraled down her back and her blue eyes seemed to pierce into hers.

"I beg your pardon ma'am, but I cannot help wondering what it is that has brought you to a halt." She spoke, rather impatiently. She didn't have time to stand on the side of the road and talk to strangers when someone was going to be coming for her, God only knows when. It didn't help that she knew not of what he looked like.

The haughty voice that came from the woman didn't necessarily surprise Caroline, only disappointed her. "I could not help but to notice your state of dress. What would possess you to leave ones house in such an unruly manner? Do you have no concern of being courted?"

"I dare say that being courted is the last thing upon my mind. Now, if you'll excuse me." Her back was turned and once again she started her walk, but the buzz that had died when the woman stopped her vehicle did not start again.

"I will not." Her haughty voice rang out, demanding attention without begging for it.

"I beg your pardon?" Caroline asked as she turned toward the beautiful stranger one more time.

Her chin rose in a manner similar to Caroline's earlier actions. "I will not excuse you. We were having a civil conversation between comrades, and you turned your back upon me when questioned about something you do not wish to hear. May I ask if you are always so stubborn to a fault?"

"_Me?_ What about yourself, miss? I had thought I made it clear when I excused myself that I have things to attend to. What interest to you is my state of dress or lack of companions, anyhow? It does not concern you in the slightest."

Caroline was surprised immensely when the young woman gave her a soft smile, one that shone through the arrogant bravado she'd been using. "I only wish to help you, sister. You see, I do not have the fortune of having a blood sister."

"Nor do I." Caroline admitted begrudgingly, "Though I have always dreamt of having one."

"As have I. You remind me of someone I once knew; someone dear to my heart. Please allow me to help you, at the very least with a change of clothes and a proper meal."

The young blonde weighed the pros and cons. The stranger seemed genuine in her effort to help her, but the proposal came too far out of left field. She didn't even know the woman! Her gut told her to continue her journey on foot. "Oh, I appreciate that much, ma'am. But you see I enjoy the art of walking; while I've never been in an automobile, I'm positive it wouldn't feel as rewarding as traveling with my own limbs."

She was turning to walk once more when the small murmur rang out from her companion. As if it was planned, her stomach growled the second that the woman moved from the vehicle at lightning fast speed to look into Caroline's eyes, "Please, I beg of you. Let me help."

It was likely due to the fact that this woman didn't look like one to beg, or perhaps it was her hunger that made her agree to the proposal. She couldn't be sure of which. "Alright," she repeated back, dazed at this change of events. The woman was even more beautiful when she was directly in front of her. "I will let you help."

The blonde haired stranger beamed back, "Splendid! I'll take you to my home; it is merely a mile or so away."

Caroline tried not to be unsettled by the fact that the stranger had to turn the way she came to get to her home. Had she simply forgotten whatever plans she may have had to help the girl? She'd never met anyone who was that kindhearted, it was almost…suspicious. She instantly chastised herself at her lack of faith. This woman did nothing to lose her trust; therefore she refuses to allow herself to treat her as some sort of villain. She only wants to help, after all.

"Pray tell, what is my savors name?"

"Rebekah Mikaelson, and the name of my free spirit would be?"

Something in her gut told her that this lady might know her 'owner.' Perhaps it was her persistence, or the all too casual indifference—she wasn't sure which. Above all else, she couldn't for the life of her explain why she had gotten in this automobile. She'd been dead set on not going with her, and yet… "Caroline." She finally spoke, "Caroline Lockwood."

Tyler Lockwood had been on her mind a lot recently, despite the fact that they ended their schoolyard romance a whole year before. She guessed it was likely due to the fact that she was leaving town—never to see him again. He was the closest thing she had to a friend, even if they had hardly spoken in the past year.

She couldn't place the emotions that seemed to be battling for control of Rebekah's face, until finally the feign indifference settled back once more. Interesting. "What an uncommon surname. Where are its origins?"

It was Caroline's turn to burn her gaze at the other woman, fierce suspicion on the rise. "On the contrary, ma'am, it's a very common surname. Surely a woman of your stature has read Withering Heights, for one example."

"Ah yes, how silly of me. An Englishwoman asking the origins of an English name! What a disgrace this would be to my family," Rebekah replied charismatically, numbing down most of the suspicion that had risen in her, "You musn't tell them, Car, it'll be our little secret."

Caroline couldn't help but to notice the genuine embarrassment that the other woman was trying to mask with her waving off the mistake. Perhaps her greatest flaw, the blonde began to wonder if she was wrong about her first impression of this woman's dishonorable intentions. Everyone has good in them, and this woman just had more so than most people. There's nothing fishy about going out of your way to help someone.

"Of course," Caroline replied breezily, enjoying the wind caressing her hair as they drove, "Sisters keep secrets to their graves, do they not?"

She was positive when she saw the touched look on her companions face that she hadn't been making it up. It was gone in a split second, but it was there long enough to count. Still, she was surprised at the sincere tone that the woman used when she took hold of her hand. "That they do, just as they keep each other safe. I shan't let anything harm you, Caroline."

The fiercely loyal gaze she was being met with should have scared her. After all, this is a stranger, someone who Caroline had only planned to know for the night before she went on her way. The woman was looking at her as if they were blood sisters, never planning to let the other go.

Instead, it empowered her. She went through her whole life feeling truly alone, yet here this woman was: as if she knew her hardships and empathized with them. "Nor I, sister. If someone is enough of a dolt to come within three feet of you, I shall remove their reproductive organs with my bare hands!" She spoke lightly, laughter in her voice at the thought alone.

Rebekah snorted out as she laughed, making Caroline only giggle all the more. "You wench; I'm onto your motives. Your only wish is to fondle genitals in the name of sisterly love."

"It is better than doing it in the name of true love, is it not? At least I know my sister will never let me down or leave me."

Rebekah let out a small hum of approval, although the look on her face looked eerily similar to a pained expression. Caroline found herself wondering briefly who she lost to cause such an expression grace the beauty of her face. They stayed silent for the rest of the drive to the Mikaelson house—or mansion, the blonde corrected herself as they drove past the gate.

It was probably ten times bigger than the hut that she had previously called home, maybe bigger, if she was being honest with herself. There was even a small house on the side of the mansion, where the blonde woman drove them into to park the car. "You have a separate house for your vehicle?" She couldn't hide the impressive tone in her voice, blushing at the fact that her voice betrayed her. She prided herself on not caring about monetary value, and she wasn't about to change that now.

"We have a separate house for our vehicles." She corrected lightly, gesturing into the open hut and confirming her statement when Caroline noticed several different types of automobiles lined up. Most of them couldn't possibly be on the market, and she idly wondered how they obtained them.

The inside of the mansion was even more impressive then the outhouse made solely for vehicles. There were two winding staircases that joined at the top, through the bottom of them was a hallway, and she could vaguely make out a kitchen through the threshold. On both sides of the stairs were doorways, leading to what she assumed was the dining room and living room.

Rebekah smiled, "Be a dear and leave your shoes here. No need for tracking dirt, now is there?" Glancing down at mud-painted shoes, Caroline couldn't really blame her, so she slipped them off silently. The taller blonde woman led the other girl up the stairs and through various hallways before they reached a huge room. It held no personal items, giving the young woman the impression that it was a guest room. "The shower is through that doorway. When you return, I will have had set out an outfit. Whenever you're ready, dinner will be served in the dining room."

Caroline nodded absentmindedly, grabbing hold of the strangers arm before she could disappear from the room. Meeting her eyes, she found herself whispering: "Thank you for your kindness. I'm unsure of the motive but I appreciate it nevertheless."

"What leads you to believe there's a motive?" Rebekah asked with slightly narrowed eyes, her high heels clicking as she moved to lean casually against the threshold of the door.

Caroline felt her throat constrict as she took a gulp of saliva. The two women understood each other; it didn't have to be explained. Miss Forbes saw a lot of herself in her rescuer. Both were stubborn to a fault and shielded themselves from the world. It was because of this that Caroline felt confident that Rebekah would understand when she spoke: "Isn't there always a motive?"

The smile that the British woman flashed her wasn't completely sincere, as she seemed preoccupied with something on her mind. "Unfortunately." She snapped out of it a mere second later, shaking her head. "Now get in there before the smell gets stuck to the rugs!"

"I do not smell!" Caroline shouted indignantly, lifting the sleeve of her cloth dress to her nose.

"You smell like manure." Rebekah called in a sing-song voice over her shoulder as she exited the room, causing the human to laugh and shake her head at the strange woman who came to her rescue.

* * *

The dress that was laid out for her was a simple floor length cotton dress, colored a lovely shade of light pink. Rebekah knocked on the door just in time to help her lace up the straight-fronted corset that was set to the side of said garment. "Dinner is finished." She spoke lightly as she tightened the laces absentmindedly. "You'll get to meet my brothers."

"Oh," she spoke slightly, not sure why the idea hadn't crossed her mind. "For some reason I thought we were alone in this palace."

Caroline hissed as she tightened the corset once more. "Do not be fooled, Caroline. We are all alone, no matter who accompanies us."

A small scoff escaped her, "Because that is not morbid whatsoever."

"Morbid, perhaps, but that does not mean that it is any less truthful. Even blood can thin to water over time."

"That is untrue, sister." Caroline spoke fiercely, content that she was finished with her tying so she could turn to face the other woman. "If there was truth to your statement, you would not be having dinner with your kin tonight. I would have run away from home when my papa laid his hands on me for the first time. Blood will never thin, after ten years or a thousand."

Rebekah sighed, lifting her hand the caress the humans left cheek softly. "My sweet, philosophical Caroline. I do not wish this fate for you."

Caroline felt her brow furrow as she attempted to make sense of the words being spoken. Perhaps she could sense the fact that the seventeen year old was lost, but Caroline suspected that she wasn't speaking of her lack of direction.

The realization clicked in her mind just as a knock sounded once more at the threshold of the door. "Are we decent?" She heard the British accent of a man speak, only for him to open the door a second later. "Forgive me for intruding on your bed chambers, ladies, but I simply could not wait to meet our house guest."

One of the most handsome men that Caroline had ever seen walked through the door, with rugged facial hair and short brown hair. She felt her breath leave her body, too aware of her wet hair dripping down her back. She probably looked like a wet mole rat that was hyperventilating.

"Ms. Forbes," he acknowledged, stopping in front of her, gently taking hold of her (kindasortaclammy) hand and raising it to her lips. "My name is Klaus Mikaelson. What an honor it is to have you join us for dinner." He practically purred, his eyes never leaving hers.

Caroline forced herself to blink and take a step back, "Pray tell, mister Mikaelson, how you have come about my surname?" She was asking a question that they all knew the answer to. It seemed obvious now that this was all a sham, although even as she glanced at Rebekah she couldn't shake her fond feeling for the woman. She looked absolutely miserable about the interaction, even if she left without a word.

Without being able to stop herself, she spoke to the retreating back of her ex-rescuer turned kidnapper. "So much for not letting anyone hurt me, _sister."_

Rebekah didn't turn as she was addressed, she only paused briefly. "Nik will not hurt you, Caroline. _At least not yet_." The last part of the sentence was whispered, but everyone was aware that it caught the ears of the human.

With a blur of motion, the blonde disappeared without another word.

Being alone with her assailant was a new beast entirely. Sure, he was handsome, but almost too handsome. Moreover, when she looked into his eyes, she could see none of his soul. They were cold and dark, just like the act of trading a life for a life is. Caroline supposed she wasn't surprised at his dead eyes, but his charm was another story. "My surname, sir." She reminded.

As he began to speak, Caroline found herself taking another step back. "What sort of chap would take a drunken gamblers word that he would produce his daughter to a stranger? I needed collateral, sweetheart. I know your parents' names, where you live, where your precious suitor lives. I would be a simply poor deal maker if not."

Klaus took two steps towards her, causing the young woman to flinch visibly. The man in front of her laughed without humor, "I saved you from a man who would only kill you and your spirit, yet here you are, afraid of me! You should be thanking me, princess." His last sentence cut like venom as she narrowed her eyes at him.

"Why myself? If you needed a play thing, I'm sure your sister would be happy to oblige. "She paused for a few seconds, weighing the pros and cons of keeping her mouth shut. Finally, she continued: "How do you know such information about my life? Have I picked myself up a stalker?" Her voice trembled, because at that moment, she was certain that that was exactly what she had done.

Caroline wasn't sure the response that she was expecting, but it certainly wasn't an amused smile. "All in due time, sweetheart. But allow me to make myself perfectly clear," He began to say as he took three steps closer to her, backing the young woman into a wall in the process. Their eyes meeting, he continued: "I am not your father, Caroline. As long as you are under my watch, no one will lay a finger on you."

Slowly, he brushed a strand of wet hair behind her ear. She gulped once more before wrenching his hand away from her face. "I'll presume that you include yourself in that promise, Niklaus."

The smile that he gave her in return was unnerving. He had to know his charm, didn't he? Caroline didn't enjoy men who loved themselves, but Klaus carried his charming personality in a rather humble manner, as if he didn't expect her to sub come to it—only hoped. "Soon you will be begging for my skin to caress yours, but I shall keep my hands to myself until that day arrives. I will win you, because we both know that you are mine already."

"Your nerve is absolutely astounding! I belong to only myself, from now to eternity." She responded curtly, trying to appear tired of his game to cover the overwhelming emotions taking control of her. She wasn't sure whether to be scared, flustered, enraged or aroused… Instead she felt all four at once.

"We shall see. Now come, dinner is getting cold." He spoke lightly, holding out his elbow for her to link arms with him. Caroline raised an eyebrow at that, choosing to walk around the man instead. Sighing, he grabbed her arm once more and turned her to face him. "I don't want to do this, love, but I feel it may be necessary."

"Wha—"

"You are not to leave until I say it is alright. Are we clear?" He spoke, looking directly into her eyes.

She nodded absentmindedly, "I will not leave until you say." A few seconds passed before she blinked and realized that the exchange was sort of weird. Instead of dwelling on it, however, she was distracted by his hand on her lower back as they made their descent down the stairs and towards the dining room.


	3. III

So, luckily for all of us, I've become absolutely obsessed with this story. I've been eating, breathing, and sleeping it lately, to be honest. I was even working on the plot during work today! I figured that I would ride the wave while I could…. I hope Elijah makes up for lack of Klaus. ): I promise to dedicate a klaroline chapter alone soon enough.

* * *

As Caroline and Klaus reached the guardrail that overlooked the entrance, the young woman eyed the two brothers waiting at the bottom of the staircase. She couldn't shake the anxious feeling that crept into her stomach at the blank expressions painted upon their faces; both were standing tall with pale skin, dark brown hair and expensive looking suits. Rebekah changed into a forest green strapless dress and looked just as stunning as she had earlier; as opposed to her siblings' looks of indifference, she sported a slight smirk.

Niklaus wasn't naïve enough to attempt to link arms with his companion once more; having his family hear his rejection the first time was bad enough for him, thank you very much. Instead, he relished in how closely the two had to walk as they made their entrance down the stairway. It was as if static electricity was shooting between the two, the result being a very on-edge teenage girl and an intoxicated vampire.

In his peripheral vision she could see Caroline glance at him, but as he turned his head to meet her eyes the young woman was looking forward once more, a slight blush tinting her pale face. Perhaps because he was so old, he should find this game worn or tiring; instead, he found it endearing. Klaus had seen his fair share of seductresses, and almost all of them have betrayed him in the end. He'll be damned if anyone does the betraying other than him; he deserves loyalty for once after his treacherous past, after all.

Caroline was loyal to a fault. Klaus had seen it with his own eyeballs as he watched through the windows of her house, the despicable lush raising a hand to the woman. She had taken it, along with a few other slaps, and after the arsehole passed out he watched as she put a blanket over him. He saw as she cried her tears in silence while nursing her wounds; moreover, he saw as she put up a brave face every single day. Not only was she loyal, but she was also strong and full of …light. Happiness.

She was intoxicating in every aspect. Here was this beautiful ball of sunshine that had every reason to be angry at the world, but she wasn't. She was happy by nature. Not only that, but she challenged him as well. The woman wasn't one to go down without a fight, which reminded Klaus greatly of himself. He absolutely had to make her his, one way or another.

Had he forgotten to mention that she smells like strawberry Jell-O? Niklaus absolutely _adored_ strawberry Jell-O, and he silently vowed to taste her eventually, as well. _'In every way.' _The devil on his shoulder whispered with a smirk.

Enjoying her naturally bashful tendencies, the vampire decided to exploit it by ever-so-slightly grazing the back of his hand against her own. She stiffened and sent him a scathing look, but all he could do was grin smugly as her blush betrayed her.

Caroline, on the other hand, was only grateful that she didn't trip in front of the entire Mikaelson family. Perhaps she could focus on not looking like a shell-shocked weakling if her kidnapper would stop looking at her as if she was on the main course. As much as she wanted to be outraged and uneasy by his overwhelming stare, the only feelings that overtook her were nervousness and flattery.

As they reached his family, the taller man settled his right hand on her lower back once more. It was a possessive move, and she would normally tell him to cease and desist…For once, she decided to be honest with herself and admit that the gesture calmed down the anxiousness that had been rising within her with each step. Niklaus was mischievous, but he didn't seem to mean her immediate harm. Judging by the look on the face of the first brother to take her hand and kiss it, she had bigger worries than the playful flirtation that Klaus had been showing her.

"About time you and dinner joined us, Nik." The man addressed her suitor with a grin that suggested superiority. Caroline looked between the two men, watching as Klaus stared at his brother with a hard, narrow-eyed gaze. "I mean, about time you joined us for dinner." He turned to Caroline, "I must say you look absolutely _delicious_ this evening."

The blonde wasn't an idiot. She saw Klaus look at his brother with more distain by the second, just as she saw Rebekah open her mouth to speak. It was to her immense surprise that the person to cut in was not either of the two. Instead, the other brother spoke softly and firmly, "That is quite enough, Kol."

She turned her gaze to the taller of the two brothers, a handsome man with a cliff-chin and soft eyes. Caroline knew at first glance that she trusted his soft spirit. "It's a pleasure to meet you, my name is Elijah."

The seventeen year old was immediately drawn to his calm demeanor. Without conscious effort, she found herself comparing him to the brother by her side. Whereas Niklaus was handsome in a sinful, devilish way, Elijah held his handsomeness with dignity and an air of poise. She smiled sincerely to the man, "The pleasure is mine, sir Elijah. I am called Caroline."

"Let us move the party to the dining room, shall we not? Dinner has been ready for ages and I'm sure it's lukewarm at best by now." Rebekah cut in as she led the group to the other room; she glanced at Niklaus pointedly and continued, "Perhaps we could have been finished already, if Nik wasn't busy harassing our house guest."

Caroline snorted as she walked to the chair with her name card on it. "Your prisoner, you mean." She spoke lightly as she eyed the name card. '_Fancy,_' her mind thought mockingly, wondering what the point was for assigned seating for a family dinner. Perhaps the idea was above her head, though, as she and papa rarely ate together at all. She was about to pull out her chair when a hand beat her to it. She looked up, expecting the arrogant smirk of Klaus but getting only the neutral face of Elijah.

With a silent nod of thanks, the blonde woman took her seat. She was across the table from Rebekah, as opposed to Kol—much to her relief. On her left Klaus sat at the head of the table and on her right was the stoic presence of Elijah. It took her a moment to realize that the family was staring at her with a variety of expressions on their faces. Finally, she picked up her fork and raised a brow. "Let's not disillusion ourselves; we all know that I would not be here if not for your suspicious mind control."

"Would you not?" Klaus asked as he himself started to eat their (still warm) dinner. "If you ask me, you seem absolutely jubilant over the company." The edge on his voice was impossible to miss.

"Is that a tone of jealousy that I hear?" Caroline couldn't help but to mock him slightly, enjoying the look of annoyance that he sent her. "Tell me, Niklaus. Which of your brothers are you fearful that you will lose your new plaything to?" As if on cue, Rebekah and Kol both snorted into their food in amusement. Elijah stayed silent but had mirth in his eyes. She got the impression that his family didn't stand up to their brother much. Oh well, Caroline reasoned, if they didn't then else someone must. If that someone had to be her then so be it.

He leaned upon his elbow, pointing his fork in her direction. "You'd do best not to cross me, little girl." His threat held no menace, much to her surprise. In fact, where she expected him to lash back, amusement was prominent in his voice instead.

Kol raised his eyebrows incredibly, "Are you serious, brother? You cannot allow her to speak to you in such a manner. If it were me, I would rip her throat out myself…" He trailed off; as if he was too busy imagining the act to finish his train of thought.

"Enough, Kol!" Rebekah snapped with her voice as hard as ice.

"Oh, I'm soo scared of you, Bekah." He replied with a roll of the eyes and a laugh.

While the siblings bickered, Caroline didn't drop her gaze from Klaus' face once. She watched as it went from playful, as it had been originally, and witnessed as the expression gradually darken with each word uttered from his family. When he finally spoke, the glare he fixed upon Kol could have killed. "Here of free will or not, we will treat our guest as just that: a guest. Do not forget who you are crossing, brother." Klaus growled dangerously.

Kol slumped into a rather childish pout, eating his food in a sulky manner. The energy at the table was tense at best, and no one was sure what to say to break it. The rest of dinner was consumed in a heavily awkward silence.

The flames of the fire danced beautifully and freely, if it was a person they would have been dancing as if nobody were watching; Caroline had found herself wishing that she herself could be so free. Instead she was imprisoned by group of alarmingly striking people with impossible abilities of speed. She thought for a second, realizing they could also control her mind.

As much as she wanted to get up and leave, her legs would not budge. If any time to escape, this would be the one. After dinner ended Klaus, Rebekah and Kol all went out to the local tavern. Although she had never taken on a supernatural creature, she supposed one was better than four in any situation. Still, she could. Not. Move.

There was also the fact that Rebekah had insisted on lighting a fire on a hot summer night. Although, it may be Caroline who was the dense one, as she was sitting directly in front of it. That was irrelevant, because the whole house was heating up due to the fire despite that. Did they have no concern for temperature?

The Mikaelson's were an odd family, indeed.

As if he was reading her mind ('_perhaps they can do that as well,_' she thought in alarm) Elijah appeared next to the fireplace. Out of nowhere. Caroline jumped with a gasp, placing her hand gingerly over her heart.

Elijah looked mildly amused at the reaction but sounded sincere enough when he apologized. "My apologies; old habits are hard to break, as I'm sure you're aware. I came because this house has beginning to get a bit stuffy, don't you agree?"

Caroline found herself looking between him and the fireplace once more. He couldn't be more correct, actually. "Quite. I've yet to explore your beautiful gardens yet, are you in the mood for a stroll?"

For some reason, the young girl was surprised at the teasing tone that Elijah used next. She realized as he was speaking that she hadn't heard him use such a jovial tone until then. "A stroll? I'm afraid it's physically impossible for my body to walk to such a slow degree. A brisk walk is the best that I can do."

With a sigh, the blonde shook her head. "A brisk walk for you is a vigorous run for myself. I'm afraid it's a stroll or no deal."

"You drive a hard bargain, Ms. Forbes."

The two stared at each other, as if daring the other to make the next move. Finally, Caroline smiled. "I suppose we'll just have to meet in the middle, then."

She stood from in front of the fireplace, pushing her long sleeves down as she moved away from the smoldering heat. Elijah allowed her to grab his elbow and guide him from the room, even though he was giving her a playfully unimpressed look. "What part of 'a brisk walk or no deal' do you not understand?"

It was her turn to flash the man an unimpressed look, "Someone who is lonely enough to ask the prisoner for company is in no position to bargain."

As the two stepping into the night, Caroline couldn't help but the relish in the wonderful weather. It was the perfect summer's night. "Come, we have a lake out back as well."

It took one second of looking out into the night for the blonde to freeze. "Wait." She whispered, before wondering why she was whispering. This time when she spoke, her voice was louder and more confident. "Will you use your speed to get a jar? I simply adore catching fireflies, there's nothing more magical."

Caroline wished she could describe the face that the man in front of her made. It was incredibly neutral, but his eyes were soft and happy. It was as if he was smiling with his eyes, instead of his mouth. Although her attraction, as much as she hated it, lay almost completely with his brother Klaus, she couldn't help but to enjoy the company of this man. He was intimidating but unassuming.

She thought that perhaps it was his naturally quiet demeanor that intimidated her. There was also the fact of his magical abilities.

He seemed to be considering the request for a while, before shrugging. "I trust you will not wander?"

"Perhaps I did. I imagine I would only make it to that tree over there," The blue-eyed beauty raised her pointer finger to a small tree about five feet away, "before you caught up to me. _If _I got anywhere at all." She rolled her eyes.

"The lady has a point." Caroline noticed that her companion seemed deep in thought, as if considering something. Finally, he turned so that they were inches apart and he could gaze into her eyes. "Forgive me, but I must test a theory." Before she could question the change, the man spoke once more. "You will not wander."

_Them and their mind control_, Caroline scowled inside her head. On the outside, she was in a trance of sorts. "I will not wander."

"Wonderful." He grinned, before disappearing from her sight all together. The blonde couldn't help but to frown. She would have thought that Elijah would trust her enough to leave her on her own, especially because he could catch her any time.

With a shrug, she turned to survey her surroundings. On the left of the door to the house was the car garage, and behind that looked to be a vegetable garden. Caroline couldn't help but to wonder who kept up with it, as she couldn't imagine any of the Mikaelson's getting dirty to save their lives. On the right was a large meadow of a lawn, with a giant oak tree sitting proudly next to the mansion. Her eyes widened as she saw a swing hanging loosely from one of the branches.

As she made a move to walk to the swing, the words that Elijah had spoken rang throughout her head. She couldn't wander. That meant that she couldn't go to the swing, right?

Pause.

He didn't say _where_ she couldn't wander. Perhaps he meant that she couldn't wander off the property. It was a natural demand of someone being kidnapped, after all, to stay on the property. If she's taking a walk anyways, why not wait by the swing?

Before she knew it, she was skipping on over to the wooden swing and perching herself happily on the seat. How much fun! Caroline grinned and she pumped her legs, screaming out into the night as a sudden push made her go significantly higher.

"Damn you, Eli!" She hollered in good nature, giggling as she calmed from the adrenaline rush of getting scared whilst swinging on a swing. Slowly the device lost momentum, and Elijah stood in front of her as she sat idly on the wooden perch.

"You have proven my suspicions, Caroline. You're special, and not just because of your strong heart and quick tongue."

The blonde cocked her head to the side impatiently, giving the man in front of her a stern look. "Elijah, do not make me beg. If there's something you wish to share, please do so."

The tall man carried the same amused look that seemed to rarely leave his face, "I should make you wait longer to teach you a lesson in patience."

"You tease." She scowled in return.

Her scowl had him admitting his theory in no time, "It isn't ordinary for one to realize when we've used our compulsion on them. If we force someone to do something, they don't consider the possibility of doing anything else; we put them in such a haze when we compel them that people typically only remember that they have to do the command. It is extremely rare for someone to realize that their actions are odd, or the boundaries that go along with them."

Caroline understood more now. "I realize it's happening, but the compulsions still have a hold on me."

"And that is perfectly natural. Compulsions aren't something easily fought. The difference between you and anyone else is that if I had compelled anyone else and told them not to wander, they would not have moved a muscle until I returned. You started thinking about _why_ I wouldn't want you to wander, and justifying why doing the opposite would be okay, am I correct?"

The blonde nodded vigorously as she thought about her train of thoughts from before, how she found the loophole in his order. Once she had convinced herself that he meant that she wasn't to wander from the yard, she was no longer constrained in her spot. It was all a matter of the mind.

Her eyes widened as she realized that she could manipulate her thoughts on almost anything they made her do. She had an advantage, of sorts.

"I have another suspicion, however." When she gave him the impatient look that he was quickly becoming used to, Elijah continued, "You are not completely immune to compulsion. If you are compelled to forget about the whole thing, you shall. Your only advantage lies with the knowledge that the event happened, if you forget the words spoken then manipulating them becomes impossible."

Caroline thought about the hypotheses' being made. In theory and in logic, it would make sense. "How could you be sure?"

The blonde haired firecracker liked to think that she was finally being made in on the joke as he told her, "Well, we've had this conversation once already." Her eyes widened and a small, breathless laugh escaped her.

"How surreal. How would I have such a power, if it is so uncommon?"

"I haven't a clue in the slightest," He admitted before continuing, "Shall we?" Elijah asked at last, holding up the clear glass jar that he had went inside to get. The seventeen year old was still in a little daze as she stood from the swing and linked arms with the companion. As they headed in the direction of the backyard, the man spoke up once more. "I suppose you may have some questions about me and my family."

A playful look was sent to her side, "Where shall I start? I have made many observations about you Mikaelson's that strike me as odd since my arrival."

"Now it is you who is teasing me, Caroline."

"Alright, alright." She amended, unlinking their arms so she could hunt after the small, flashing bug that floated through the air magically. She caught it with triumph and a smile, gesturing for the man to help her trap the bug inside the jar.

"Perhaps the most prominent is my curiosity over Niklaus playing king. It seems that you are not his family but his lapdogs. Rebekah looks unhappy to follow his demands, and to say that Kol does as well would be the understatement of the century. And you…" She found herself trailing off, unsure what she wanted to say about the man in front of her. "Well. I cannot picture you enjoying the orders of anyone other than yourself. How can he manipulate his own flesh to do his bidding?"

Elijah's dark hair fell into his eyes as he unscrewed the lid of the jar, "Harsh words from a woman who fancies him." He shot back. Both raised their eyebrows as they stared at the other once more.

Finally, Caroline moved her enclosed fist over the open jar, releasing the bug. "Do not deflect, sir Eli."

She watched as he shut the lid too slowly and let the bug loose. Before she could blink, it was flying higher than either could reach. "Bollocks."

"Some super speed you have there," She teased gently, enjoying the strong breeze that was blowing throughout her hair. The backyard was just as spacious as the front. There was a fountain and a patio near the back entrance to the house, and it wasn't much further down the property where Caroline could see the outline of the lake.

They walked in silence for several moments, listening to the sounds of the creatures in the forest stir. It wasn't until the pair was walking along the water's edge that Elijah chose to speak again. "Do you put much faith into folklore, Caroline?"

"Only as I let my imagination run wild, I suppose," She pondered, watching with happiness as the fireflies danced around the two. "However, I will believe whatever you tell me. I can tell by your eyes that you're an honorable man, Eli, and you would not lie to me if it's not necessary. Let us not forget that I have seen your special abilities with my own eyes, as well."

Caroline tried not to be amused and surprised when the man besides her went after a firefly for himself, with a particularly big reach necessary to obtain it. It was a peculiar and pleasant sight. "To shorten the story significantly, my mother had powers that nobody had ever dreamed of. She channeled the Earths elements through incantations and spells, and she was who we believe to be the first ever witch on the planet. Because she loved her children dearly, she used a spell to make us into immortals. She couldn't bear the idea of losing us, and in the end it was what drove her away from us."

The blanks seemed to fall into place. They could control minds, move impossibly fast and live forever. She knew her stories enough to figure out what their mother had accidentally done. "Her spell backfired, didn't it?"

The quiet contemplation of her partner would usually cause Caroline to worry that he was uncomfortable speaking about such private matters, but his face remained the same mask of calm contentment that it had most of the day. "I'm unsure if she knew beforehand the monsters she would be creating. Either way, I saw the regret in her eyes with each day until her death."

She hated herself for the question that settled upon her mind. She hated her mouth even more for voicing it. "Did one of you…"

Elijah gave his partner a sharp look. "I don't enjoy where your line of questioning is going, Ms. Forbes."

She paused to a halt, suddenly feeling like garbage left upon the side of the road. Hadn't she previously said that Elijah was full of honor? That she trusted him? Placing a hand on his arm, the woman met his eyes. "I apologize. I know you must miss your mother dearly, and it wasn't fair of me to assume the worst."

"The prisoner says to her kidnapper." He reminds, but the smile is soft and she knows that she is forgiven. The two begin their stroll (Caroline relished in her little victory) once more. "My father, Mikael, killed her in cold blood. I believe he blamed her for the mess she made, once he discovered her betrayal especially. He has since dedicated his time becoming the most deadly vampire hunter in existence. The man spends his days scouring the Earth for us, so he can finish what he started."

"So wait, his name is Mikael Mikaelson?" Caroline couldn't help herself from asking incredulously, looking at the man in front of her with disbelief.

"We have adapted to the name Mikaelson over the years with the preconceived notion that Mikael would think that we'd pick something more generic. It was one of Klaus' many ideas that we chose to follow on whim." He shrugged, "Also, our real name isn't nearly as elegant."

Caroline grinned, "Now you simply have to tell me."

"Karlsefni."

Deciding to test the name on her tongue, the blonde tried to repeat him: "Elijah Karl..s…eeni?"

Elijah laughed at the failed attempt at his family name. "That's close enough, perhaps."

"So, how does this tie into lapdog Klaus syndrome?" Her curious tongue got the better of her once again, as was habit it seemed.

"Your patience is truly astounding. As I was saying," The snarky older man continued, "After Klaus made his first human kill, his werewolf gene was activated and he became the first hybrid. It was only then that we discovered my mother's affair, but that is the reason that I believe Mikael killed her—and also why I believe he is after us, as well."

Caroline was confused. Vampires were just confirmed to her moments before, and now there were HYBRIDS? Oh, my. "So because Niklaus is this… hybrid.. he can control you?"

To this he was responded with a shake of the head, "My brother has the combined senses of two supernatural creatures; even if he cannot activate his wolf self currently, he's faster, stronger and more agile than all of us. Above all, Klaus is quick with a stake, and we all know it."

The blonde practically had her head spinning now. "Why can he not turn to wolf?"

"Another story for another time, curious Caroline."

Caroline went back to her original goal of catching fireflies merrily, frolicking ahead while the dapper man walked with leisure behind her. "Do you think me a foolish woman, for being taken with Niklaus?" She called out behind her out of curiously, her hair whipping as she turned her head towards him.

"I think you're an ordinary woman for being taken with him. Most are, after all." The blonde looked for any sign of jealousy on the man's face but saw only the forced indifference that the whole family seemed to have mastered.

She paused and turned to look him in the face and repeat her earlier question, "Yes, but do you think that I am foolish?"

They stared into the others eyes for quite some time, as Caroline got the impression that he needed to find his words. "Yes and no. My brother has deep rooted trust issues, as do we all. He will likely turn on you before you can get the chance to turn on him." The young woman flinched, looking towards her feet as she realized that the man knew her brother better than anyone. She didn't want anyone to turn on anyone, period. "However. Despite all the wrong that has been done, and is in the process of being done at every moment that you're in our company, I suppose that I would not be with him if I didn't believe that he could be saved. I used to be under the impression that family would be the thing to make him feel whole for once, but perhaps no one can do that like a female with honorable intentions."

"More romantic words have never been spoken, Elijah." She told him softly. Once again, the two continued their leisurely walk around the property. They were only about half way around the lake, believe it or not.

"Tell that to Shakespeare."

Caroline gave the man beside her a slight shove on his shoulder, "You're the one that likely met him. One would have to assume that you're very old, if you're the son of the first witch alive."

"One would assume correctly," He nodded, but didn't elaborate. The woman found that she enjoyed imagining his 'birth' time period, and settled on the thought that the fun lied within the guessing.

"I suppose I would be a bad prisoner if I did not beg you for my release at least once during this conversation." The young woman decided to mention, trying to keep her gaze on the other man casual—to no avail, she was sure. She had the tendency to be as transparent as the air being inhaled into her lungs.

"I'd like to help you, Caroline. But I cannot do so with a dagger in my chest, and it is for that reason alone that I can't allow you to escape."

"For a family who kidnapped me, you sure have honorable intentions." She muttered with annoyance, hating the irony in the fact that her kidnappers kept promising to keep her safe. The young woman had always believed in a set line between good and evil, but the Mikaelson's kept trying to blur said line. It was making her head spin. "Will you tell me why I am here, at the very least?"

Elijah let out a small sigh, looking out into the night's sky. The stars were so beautiful that it should be illegal, Caroline thought. "Klaus and I used to be closer than most kin. We were the best of friends, as well as brothers." He glanced warily at her once more, "There was a woman that we both fell in love with, Katerina. She was meant to be killed," the blonde gulped audibly, "but she fled, the night after I begged Klaus to release her. He assumed that I had betrayed his trust, even though it was my trust that was betrayed as well, when Katerina fled. I am lucky to not be in a coffin at the moment, so I suppose it isn't a surprise that he hasn't included his plans with me."

Caroline let out a disappointed sigh. All she wanted was answers. Why should she have to live with a family that could eat her in her sleep? She trusted Elijah and Rebekah, but Niklaus and Kol were the worst of wild cards…. Enough so for her to feel great unease about the whole situation.

"Despite his secretive nature, I could accurately guess his motives. It's based off of vengeance and I cannot imagine a scenario where you and your love ones are not killed." His voice was gruff, honest. For once, she wished that Elijah would have lied to her about the motives, because she suddenly felt more cold than she thought possible.

"If one had no loved ones left, only she, then it would be sure death?" Caroline guessed out loud, not really ready to hear the answer that was awaiting her.

Elijah sighed deeply, "It is highly likely, but not a fact. As I said earlier, I still believe that there is good in my brother. You're more spirited than most humans we come across, and one of the few that did not run after discovering who we are. I'm aware that you _couldn't _run, but you didn't need to use your quick wit around killers, either. You're full of fire. Perhaps I am naïve, but I believe you can change the intentions that Nik has with you."

"But it isn't positive. I could get close to him and end up getting killed, you mean."

She was met with only silence, and not for the first time did the young woman feel her chest constrict within her dress. She wanted to run from this mansion as fast as her feet could take her, but she did not. Caroline knew that if she was going to plan an escape (she's found a loophole in their mind control, thanks to Eli) that it had to be clever.

She would begin attempting to look at weak spots in their schedule tomorrow, and plan her escape when they are at their most vulnerable. She was dealing with people who were hundreds of years old, they'd surely be cunning, but there was no way that they had her will to live. She was not going to be killed by some handsome hybrid without a fight.

"Why would you risk betraying your brother once more by telling me this information?" She found herself asking, unable to stop the words from tumbling out of her mouth.

Elijah looked remorseful, his naturally neutral face contorted into the smallest of frowns. "Klaus brings death with him wherever he goes. I'm beginning to see the error in my ways for choosing family above all else, I suppose."

Caroline stopped and turned to face the man that had aired his families' dirty laundry for her, so she would understand the circumstances of her kidnapping just a little more. With a hand on his heart (where it would be? The blonde found herself wondering if they truly had hearts that beat) the young woman looked into his eyes, "I thank you for sharing so much with me. You've proven that I was right to think that some people in this family have honorable intentions. Without you and Rebekah, I would surely be a ball of tears."

She watched as the man before her seemed to be weighing the options before speaking, "I would be wary of Bekah as well, Caroline. She seeks vengeance more so than Klaus, at times."

Caroline sighed as the two began to walk again. "It's so much easier to make Niklaus out to be the villain. I quite like your sister."

"She seems quite fond of you, as well."

The blue eyed teenager grinned in response, "See! No need to be wary."

"My family looks at human life as though it's dispensable, Caroline. The second that she wants revenge and you're in the way, she will cast you aside like the fashions of the last decade."

"I refuse to believe that, sir Elijah. Perhaps you've seen too much of your family, and so you cannot have faith in them. I have faith that Lady Rebekah will see the errors in Niklaus' ways."

The blonde wasn't sure if she was glad when Elijah changed the subject. Instead, she worried that her previous statement was so wrong that it didn't warrant a reply from the vampire. "Nik doesn't usually allow people to use his full name, you know?"

That surprised Caroline. She had heard Klaus called Nik, so she thought that combining the two would be common practice. She thought about it for a moment, before realizing that he had only introduced himself as Klaus. Wrinkling her nose, the woman found her voice once more. "Niklaus is a beautiful name."

"He stopped being called it after we turned to vampires. Perhaps you can remind him that there is beauty in after life, as well."

Caroline flushed and looked at the ground beneath her terribly muddy shoes. "I shan't hold my breath."

Elijah reached toward the girl, gently grasping her chin and turning her to face him, "Well, I shall."

The dark night echoed with far away howls from roaming wolves, and Caroline couldn't manage to shake the touched feeling that overwhelmed her. The loyalty that this vampire was showing her was flattering and it warmed her heart deeply. She thought that perhaps she could have worse captors.

* * *

Any ideas as to why she's being held there? ;) Hopefully a new update will be within the week, but don't hold your breath (we can't all be vampires and forget to breathe, like Eli!)

Shout out to **nicaha23****, ****SabbyDeeKnowles****, Sara** and** ilovetvd**. 3 You guys are legen…..wait for it….DARY!

Sorry for the filler and lack of Niklaus. Promise to make it up soon. Xoxo


	4. IV

Thanks for the reviews guys, you all make me super happy! This chapter is dedicated to Sara, for catching a typo that should have been painfully obvious to me. Gotta love my reviewers: ** Sara, obsessedfaerie, ilovetvd, evalily** and the two nameless guests.

Posting so I will not get bitten by one guests' pet giraffe!

* * *

Caroline was becoming quite used to her days at the Mikaelson Manor. As she had previously assumed, being held captive by this family was better than most. Her days mostly consisted of waking up, eating with Rebekah or Elijah, and then walking around the grounds for most of the afternoons. Elijah also showed her where the library was located in their maze of a house, so that she could pass the days reading by the lake.

The young woman tried not to be disappointed by the lack of presence of sir Niklaus. She'd been staying with them for two weeks now, and she hadn't seen him since dinner on the first night she arrived. Reasons as to why he was missing were beyond her; he had seemed set on pursuing her, had he not? Perhaps Elijah was wrong; Niklaus realized that she could be a weakness and closed off.

Although, she rationalized that if he had to close off from her than she had already gotten to him. A small, barely noticeable smile graced her face as she lay in bed that morning. She realized where her escape would lie; she only had to wait for the opportunity to arise.

As she rose to dress for breakfast, Caroline had no idea in the slightest that her chance for escape may come sooner than expected. Her hair held beautiful waves from the braid that Rebekah had done for her the day before, and she enjoyed the natural look. Her dress was a simple, silk gown that flowed rather breezily in the wind. Rebekah had stocked her closet with expensive, beautiful clothing that at times showed more than she liked. This dress was short sleeved, but reached her toes and she wore it without a corset. The material felt sinful against her skin, caressing it in the gentle way that only silk could achieve. The wardrobe choice put her in a jovial mood as she made her way down to the dining room.

The blonde wasn't surprised to find the table empty. Their family seemed to all have their own schedule, and it was a bit of guessing game each day when she awoke. Most days she ate in silence; other times she was accompanied by one of her comrades of the house. Only twice had she, Rebekah and Elijah eaten breakfast together, and she found herself wishing that it would happen more often. Those mornings had been full of jokes and laughter, instead of the quiet contentment that usually settled upon the estate.

As she took her seat, she once again thought about their brother, Kol. She had not laid eyes upon him since the dinner on the night of her arrival. She'd been in the living room when Niklaus and Rebekah returned home that night, covered in blood. Klaus had looked at her, and then walked up the stairs without another word. Rebekah paused only to tell her that she would not be seeing Kol around the estate anymore.

The blonde vampire had been true to her word, as it seemed that the house only occupied four people now. Caroline couldn't shake the feeling that they killed Kol before he could hurt her. But what would the logic in that be? If they were only going to kill her eventually, why not give Kol the satisfaction of making her a meal? She just didn't understand the people that she now spent her time with, and she was unsure if she ever would.

The maids laid out her favorite breakfast, a variety of fruit and some homemade croissants. The girl smiled as she picked up the warm croissant and started spreading jam upon the underside of it. It was a lovely day outside, there didn't appear to be a cloud in the sky. As one of the maids poured her a glass of orange juice, she smiled genuinely. "Thank you, Morgan."

Morgan was a young girl of about twenty with bright red hair, a shy little thing. She simply curtsied in response and left the room as quickly as she came. Caroline wished she wasn't so dedicated to work so the two could become friends, but the other girl had remained professional for the whole two weeks. She sighed into her cup before taking a sip of the orange juice.

"That's a mighty big sigh for such a little girl," Spoke a not-so-familiar voice. In fact, she'd almost forgotten what it sounded like. Now that she remembered, her heart would not stop racing.

She'd jumped at the interruption, not expecting any company for most of the day. As much as she wanted to write off her racing heart to surprise, she couldn't hide the fact that it only beat faster as she met his blue eyes. She wondered vaguely if he could _hear _it. Rebekah had told her of their super-hearing, as well.

With a gulp, she greeted the man. "Niklaus." Her voice wasn't easy to explain. She had meant to say his name as a stoic greeting, but instead it had come out as a soft whisper. "You startled me." She said, at last.

He remained at the doorway, loafing by the threshold. "I was under the impression you were still asleep."

Caroline didn't look up as she took a bite of her scone once more. "Don't play coy; you would've heard me wake up, Niklaus."

The blonde expected him to sit down, but instead he remained where he stood. When she raised an eyebrow, he spoke again. "Would you like to finish breakfast in peace?"

She could feel her brow knitting together before she was aware it was happening, thinking about her response. Finally, she met his eyes once more. "No. I'd like you to join me." The all-too familiar blush crept up her neck, to her ivory cheeks.

Before the young woman could blink, the vampire was sitting across the dinner table from her. She watched as he leaned on both of his forearms, staring at her suspiciously. "I know Elijah told you what we are."

She mimicked his actions, leaning on her forearms and exaggeratingly narrowing her eyes. She couldn't keep her serious face for long before she giggled and admitted, "That he did."

"And you would still be in the same room with me? Do I not frighten you?" She stared at his face, getting the distinct feeling that he felt like an abomination. She didn't want it to, but her heart swelled for the man before her. He was so obviously damaged, and she wanted badly to be the one to fix him.

Mentally she shook herself and hissed_, 'No. You want to be free of him.'_ She reminded herself firmly, angry for feeling sympathy for her captor. Forcing herself to speak, she replied honestly: "You've always frightened me, Niklaus."

She watched as he tried to conceal the hurt that flashed upon his face for a millisecond and felt a pang to the heart. She frowned at herself. "Then why not finish breakfast alone?" He finally gritted out between clenched teeth. Just as his anger came, he masked it with indifference again.

Caroline sighed and reached across the table, taking his clenched fist between her two hands. "You intrigue me. And you and I…" She flushed, looking down at her hands. "We have something, do we not? Attraction?" When she worked up the courage to look at her companion, his face soften visibly.

"Yes, sweetheart. We do." He agreed, settling in his seat and seeming to lose most of his previously aggressive energy. They sat in silence as the blonde casually ate the strawberries and pineapple that were cut up for her.

"Can I ask you something?" She finally broke the silence, her curiously always getting the better of her. When his eyes met hers, she knew he wanted her to continue. "Did you and Bekah kill your brother?" She finally asked, looking up from her fruit and gently biting down on her lower lip. She wasn't sure what to think about their family, but killing your own kin? Someone would have to be seriously deranged.

Niklaus simply grinned at her, "No, love. He's merely detained. Someone could revive him, should they wish." She watched in amusement as he rolled his eyes and snagged a piece of pineapple. "Here's to hoping that won't happen for at least a couple hundred years."

"Did you do so for my benefit?" She asked bravely, keeping her eyes on him.

The young woman couldn't read his expression as he replied in no time, "I did it to teach him a lesson. No one should speak to a lady like that."

Caroline was enjoying how honest he was being with her at the moment. She decided to test it, "Did you leave that night to kill people? Feed on them?"

His gaze was unwavering as he replied, keeping his eyes trained on hers. "Yes," When she flinched, he found himself reaching across the table to caress the woman's cheek. Reluctantly, she met his eyes once more. "This is who I am, Caroline. Without blood, I would die."

"Must you kill for it though, Niklaus?" She argued ruefully, throwing him an uncertain glance. "Why not simply drink from the human and make them forget?"

She watched the man sit back in his chair, seemingly unable to answer. "I would not kill you." He finally decided on saying, looking certain.

She scoffed and gave him a look of disbelief, "Yet, you mean."

The man in front of her simply shook his head. "Originally I had planned to kill you, simply to tie up loose ends. Killing you isn't necessary for my plans with you here."

"I will never trust you, Niklaus, never. Not until you tell me the genuine reason for my lodging here." She promised him fiercely, her eyes narrowing in on the man.

It was silent in the dining room, until blue eyed man broke the silence, "You father had been disrespectful to an astounding amount; someone deserved to pay for it. He had lied to you when he said the spat happened the night that I was supposed to retrieve you. It'd happened a week earlier, and I followed you around until it was time to get you. I'd gotten quite…" he pausing, seemingly struggling to find the word. "Smitten." He finally finished with his eyes fierce, burning a hole through her. "I knew I couldn't make you pay for his indiscretions. I can't. But you have nowhere else to go, why are you so set on leaving?"

Caroline let her frown deepen as she replied, "If Rebekah's intentions had been true my first night here, perhaps I would still be staying as a house guest of my own free will. Instead, you forced me to stay with mind control. That is why I must leave. Being a guest and a prisoner are different, Niklaus, and if you do not see that, then you really have no humanity left."

"I'm sorry you feel that way, Caroline. I do hope you'll come around." He voiced regretfully, taking a stand from the table. "If you'll excuse me, I have some business to attend." He super-sped to her side of the table and gave her a kiss on the top of her head. She tried to stop her stomach from fluttering with butterflies at the sweet gesture, and smiled at him before he disappeared again.

Try as she might, the young blonde couldn't shake the hybrid from her mind. He was so openly honest with her that her heart could burst. Surely his intentions couldn't be so genuine? She wasn't sure if she believed his story about her kidnapping. While he had explained his feelings for her after the deal with papa, it seemed as if there was a gaping hole in his story. She couldn't help but to frown at that thought.

She was currently sitting in the living room as Rebekah Dutch braided her hair, gossiping about the town's people that the younger blonde hadn't seen lately. "You'll never guess who the _real,"_ Bekah gave the girl a slight tug of the hair, as if to scold her for not trusting the vampire, "Lockwood went to church with on Sunday! Go on, guess."

The fact that this woman was really hundreds of years old made the human laugh; it must be an interesting life to be stuck at such a young age for eternity. For a second, she thought of Elijah's warning over Rebekah's anger. She could understand why the woman must get that way, as she never matured into an adult before turning into a vampire. Without meaning to, Caroline found herself pitying the woman. "Oh, umm. Francesca Williams?" She guessed half-heartedly, enjoying the sun that settled upon her face through the arch of the window.

She felt as the woman paused from braiding her hair so that she could shake her head. "SO much worse, sister," Caroline had to enjoy the fact that her companion paused for dramatic effect, "Molly Smith, the wench!"

Caroline thought back to her childhood rival with a gasp and a loud, bellowing laugh. She enjoyed the lively company of Rebekah, who was feeling all of Caroline's indignation for her. "Untwist your knickers, Bekah." She giggled lightly.

The other woman smacked her shoulder lightly, "Don't move, your braid will come undone."

The women settled into a comfortable silence as the vampire finished up Caroline's braid. Rebekah knew how to braid hair better than anyone the other blonde had ever met. She supposed that came with the vampire territory—unlimited time to practice. She wondered what other talents the woman sitting with her possessed. "There you are, all finished." Rebekah spoke eventually, as she tucked a particular piece of hair into one of the braid loops. The teen smiled and opened her mouth to thank the other woman but was interrupted.

As if he planned the timing, a knock sounded at the open doorway to catch their attention. The girls looked over to see the handsome hybrid himself, staring at the two with a look that appeared to be fondness in his eyes. Caroline realized that he could probably hear them anywhere in the house, so he must have been waiting for them to finish their girl time. She wasn't sure why, but the idea of his thoughtfulness made her heart warm.

"Afternoon, Nik." Rebekah greeted with a soft smile as she took a stand from the sofa. "I'll let you two be." Before Caroline could open her mouth to protest her quick departure, the woman was out of their sight.

"I get the honor of your presence twice in one day, how pleasant." The blonde had meant her voice to come off mockingly, but it sounded more sincere as she stared at the man. His absence, as much as she'd like to ignore it, had really driven her crazy.

Klaus grinned back easily, "Yes, well. I'm feeling quite social. I was wondering… would you care to accompany me for a horseback ride? It's simply too beautiful outside to pass the opportunity up." He was all charm and seductive-eyes and Caroline found herself agreeing before she had a chance to really realize that it happened.

"Allow me to freshen up in the ladies room quickly." She excused herself as she made her way down the familiar halls of the estate. As she entered the bathroom, the young girl tried to calm down her breathing. She knew what she had to do to escape, but she also knew that the consequences could be severe.

She stared at herself in the mirror, unsure what to do. Niklaus was mysterious, and she was genuinely taken with him… but he also kidnapped her, and could end up killing her. She'd never been so torn over her heart and head before. The blonde gave herself a pep-talk in her mind (after all, if she whispered it, someone would likely overhear) before she reached beneath the sink and retrieved the dinner knife that she had previous hidden.

As she tucked it into her underwear, near her lower back, she gave herself one more mental rally_. 'You can do this. Just wait until he's distracted and go for it.' _Her mind assured her, trying to convince herself that she's capable of stabbing someone.

She'd never shown anyone a hint of violence in her life, and frankly, the thought scared her. She wanted to escape more than anything, but what should happen if her hand hovers before plunging into his flesh? He'd surely have time to react, and turn the knife onto her. With wide eyes, she decided that it's a risk that she'd have to take. She refused to live as the slave for a family of vampires, simply because they seem bored with their humdrum lives.

Caroline composed herself calmly, priming her hair with a small smile of encouragement. She could do this; she refused to allow them to take her life, eventually. If she died trying to escape, at least it was of her own free will.

After the night with Elijah, she had been spending her days thinking about the loophole that she'd found in Niklaus' compulsion. She decided that what he _really _meant was that she could not leave this Earth without his permission. So, she's simply listening to him by escaping and saving her own life. After all, he told her not to leave.

The blonde was silently glad that she had so long to convince herself that her story was the truth, because it had taken her quite a while to rationalize it. There aren't many places that he would try to keep her, other than the estate. She shook her head and reminded herself that he'd told her not to leave Earth. Again and again, until she believed it.

Eventually, she left the bathroom and met Klaus by the front door. The teenager found herself wishing that her stomach didn't turn every time that she looked at him. Alas, it still happened as she neared him once more; the smirk that was permanently on his face suggested that he had an idea of what he did to her. _'Good,'_ she found herself thinking_, 'All the less he'll suspect.'_

"Shall we?" He questioned as he held the door open for her, smiling in return to the smile that she had sent his way.

As the two walked towards the stables, which were on the far end of the property, they fell into a fairly comfortable silence. The afternoon sun was shining above them brilliantly, and Caroline was basking in it when she decided to break the silence. "I can't help but to notice that you've made yourself scarce lately," she proclaimed, glancing at her companion briefly before fixing her stare forward. "I've… been lonely. I appreciate you making the time to accompany me today."

"I have all the time in the world for you, Caroline, I just wasn't aware you longed for my company." He spoke, giving the woman a significant look. Huh. She supposed that she was laying it on a bit thick, even if what she was saying was the truth.

"Yes, well. You know what they say about absence and hearts, I suppose." She muttered somewhat indifferently, giving her companion a sly smirk.

Niklaus just gazed at her with those burning eyes, as if he was attempting to consume her in his gaze. It was all but working, as her stomach churned violently and her heart almost beat out of her chest. She hadn't realized that he'd moved closer to her, or that they stopped walking, until he husky whispered: "I shan't keep you waiting again." His breath grazed her cheek, and Caroline felt lucky that her legs were still working. This man was frightening in more ways than one. She was afraid of what she would become should she give into him. She couldn't imagine herself being able to deny him anything, and the thought gave her a shudder.

Before they got close enough to kiss, the blonde stepped back and broke the moment. As she continued their journey to the stables, she shot him a genuine smile over her shoulder. After walking a few feet, she stopped and held her hand out for him. He was there in a flash, intertwining their fingers and leading the way to the stables.

Caroline thought she could follow him anywhere.

And then she thought she was crazy.

The horse that Klaus introduced as Beth was chocolate brown, and she was a giant. Niklaus got on her first, and then practically threw the small blonde on behind him. She supposed having super strength would have its advantages.

She thanked God that he hadn't sat behind her. He would have felt the knife and she would've been dead in the blink of an eye. Silently thankful, she clung to his midsection and squeezed as the horse started to trot towards the forest. Klaus seemed to have a destination in mind, as there was already a slight path through the brush to the location. The blonde had to admit that it felt nice being so close to Niklaus. For a vampire, he was oddly warm. She found herself wondering if it was due to his werewolf gene, before deciding that it had to be. He also smelled good; it was a woodsy scent, very musky and very Klaus. She wanted to drown in it.

Dear, god. She absolutely had to escape before she let her desire for this man overcome her. It was really not good to blindly adore someone who wouldn't hesitate to kill her. Still, riding on the horse behind him was heavenly. When you took into consideration of the silk of her dress rubbing against her skin, it was also oddly sensual.

It wasn't all that intimate but Caroline found herself thinking it was definitely the most erotic experience of her life. Between the trotting, the silk and the man in front of her, she found herself practically purring at the ride. Really, she was being ridiculous. And she was fairly certain that she just moaned. How embarrassing.

Niklaus shot her a dark look over his shoulder, his eyes a deep shade of black. "Keep doing that and we'll have to go back to the house." It was a warning, and she wondered if it was a genuine one. Quite frankly, she was appalled that part of her wished that it was. She was not usually such a wench, but for some reason she wasn't sure if she could deny a man like Klaus. She hoped that she'd escape before he could discover her weakness. As if he hadn't already.

They carried on the ride, no more awkward sensual moans coming from any of the passengers. Caroline was shocked when she realized of the location that they had ridden to; it was her safe haven of a lake, the one in the forest near her childhood home. She went from holding his midsection to simply stay on the horse to hugging him from behind. While she was there, she pressed a light kiss to his shoulder. "Oh, thank you, Niklaus. How did you know?"

The man in front of her shrugged vaguely, revealing nothing. "Lucky guess." He finally said, glancing back at her with a small grin.

"I knew you were a stalker." Caroline teased, as she carefully maneuvered getting off the horse and keeping the knife from falling to the ground. She felt immensely proud of herself for succeeding. Not wanting to take any chances, she sat down on a log near the water's edge. After she blinked, her vampire companion was next to her. The blonde was surprised to find that she was no longer startled at his speed, but rather expected it.

As much as she hated to admit it, she was sort of touched that he brought her here. Obviously he learned that she liked it by stalking her, but it's the thought that counts, in Caroline's opinion. He could tell it was a safe place for her and wanted to bring her there. It was sweet, and the young woman knew that there was no way in hell that she was going to carry out with this escape plan.

Not when this brilliant man was trying to make an effort; not when he so obviously needed someone to believe in him. Looking back, the blonde realized that she'd been fighting a losing battle ever since meeting him. She's tried so hard to block him out, when all she's wanted is the opposite. As she sat beside the blue-eyed man in her favorite spot in the world, she felt her resolve begin to melt.

Caroline absolutely had to know him. "So, let's talk." She suggested in a chipper voice, grinning at him.

The dapper man leaned back on his palms, taking in the scenery that was a beautiful lake, and woman. "What would you like to talk about, love?" He said at last, his smile more reserved than hers. He looked as if he was trying to reign in his happiness, as not to get carried away. The blonde found herself anticipating the day that when she'll get to see the man come undone before her, succumbing utterly to his happiness. She wondered if it would occur at all.

"I'd like to talk about you." Niklaus raised his eyebrows, looking surprised and pleased. The young lady liked the idea of surprising him, vowing silently to do it more often. "Your hopes, your dreams… everything you want in life."

His surprised turned to suspicion ridiculously fast, in the girl's opinion. "Why the sudden interest?"

It was the blonde woman's turn to raise an eyebrow at the man, and his untrustworthy behavior. … Thought the girl that had literally planned on stabbing him in the back. She shook her head to clear her train of thought, before replying at last: "Bringing me here was a nice gesture, Niklaus, but I did not tell you about my fondness of this lake by will. You know several intimate things about my life, but I seem to know only one about yours."

The man beside her had his hands clasped over hers, his larger digits fitting easily over her small hands. Slowly, his thumbs traced patterns over the back of her hands, making them tingle. "I don't know what you wish to hear." He spoke at last, staring off into the forest without meeting her gaze.

When Caroline finally got him to meet her eyes, she decided to continue the discussion, "Anything. I will take whatever it is to my grave." Klaus took one look at her and knew that she was being honest. The young woman was a lot of things, but a liar wasn't anywhere near that list.

Still, the couple sat beside each other in a comfortable silence for almost an hour. Caroline had seen his emotions change various times over said hour as he decided what to say; she didn't push him, knowing that opening up at all must be a battle within itself. When the handsome man finally spoke, he was glancing between her and the scenery once more—tears visible in his eyes, although nowhere near dropping down his face. He refused to let _that_ happen in front of anyone, or at all, if it could be helped.

"I'm truly alone." He finally croaked out. The words hung in the air heavily, as if he'd known them to be true for centuries without voicing it. She wondered how long he'd kept that self-destructive thought bottled up. "Rebekah and Elijah always say that we are family above all else, but they look at me as if I'm a monster. No one will understand me until there are others like me, and there will never be others like me because of Katerina." His voice was sorrowful, heartbreaking.

If Caroline hadn't wanted to save him before, she was going to have a hard time resisting now. But she was also having a hard time keeping up. "The woman that you and Elijah were both in love with? Why?"

Like Elijah on her first night at the manor, Klaus seemed perfectly content on leaving much to be guessed. "I'd prefer not to get into the details, sweetheart. Your image of me is still relatively untarnished, and I plan on maintaining that squeaky-clean imagine for as long as possible."

"But Niklaus, surely you must see," She spoke with softness in her voice, reaching out her hand to caress his cheek lightly. "You aren't alone at all. You have your siblings, who love you above all, and… me. You have me." She thought about what she wanted to say for a moment, before continuing. "Perhaps you're getting lost in the details. Sure, you may be a hybrid… I am a human, but you don't see me wallowing at our differences. We're both amazing despite them-_because_ of them."

Niklaus shook his head sadly, as if he suspected that the girl would say something like that. "That's simple for you to say, you're one human of many. I am alone with my bloodlust from the vampire gene mixed with my swelling rage from being a wolf. I'm powerful, but my true power is reigned in. I cannot imagine true happiness until I regain it."

The blonde furrowed her brow at that. "So that you can become more of a monster? Why would you have such wishes?" But she knew the answer, because he already told her it: loneliness. It seemed that the man beside her believed there was a way to recreate his condition, or there used to be. She wondered vaguely what Katerina could have done to set his plan ablaze, and found herself surprisingly mad at the woman for during so.

The young woman didn't realize the error in her words until a wounded expression passed over her companions face once more. She wondered how others could see him as only a monster, when he obviously had so much more lurking behind his exterior. "Even you believe me to be a monster."

Caroline found herself getting on her knees in front of him, cradling his face with both of her hands. "No, Niklaus." She muttered violently, catching his attention. When it was solely on her, she continued. "I think that you're more human than you realize. Those feelings, the loneliness? Everyone carries the burden. Yours may be heavier, but it exists in us all."

The handsome man was giving her his burning-gaze once more, much to her discomfort; she would take vulnerable Klaus over predator Klaus any day. "You included?"

She glanced down shyly at his inquisitive nature. "Of course." The young woman whispered, "You're my stalker. Did you not see how alone I truly am?"

When she looked back up to the man accompanying her, she was surprised at how deep in thought he appeared. Without the realization of it happening, her fingers lightly grazed upon his cheeks once more. It was impossible for her to not fall into him, as much as she tried otherwise. "I suppose I saw that you were alone, but not that you were lonely. I don't know how one would miss it." When he spoke this time, his voice was hard and contemplative.

"Most people don't look hard enough to try. When people look at you, they miss the loneliness because they are focused on your violence. When people look at me, they miss the loneliness because they're focused on my forced happiness. It's no different; people only see what they wish to see." Caroline resumed her previous seat next to the wolf, wiping at the dirt that clung to her knees. She tried to keep her voice light as she continued, "But I can see into your soul, Niklaus. And I have no plans of abandoning you, like your mother and father."

Niklaus' lips were on her own before she could process that it was happening. Like his hands, they were warmer than the usual person, but she found herself enjoying it all the more. He led the kiss with a dominance that she knew he must carry with him at all times, his lips forcing hers to open after only a few short minutes. She was drowning in the man before her; clinging to his scent, his lips, his touch, all in hopes of remembering every detail.

Just as the day had fallen together, it fell apart astoundingly quickly, as well. The man before her used his vampire speed to lay the woman flat out on the log that they'd been perched—which wasn't an altogether comfortable position in any situation, but she was forced at just the wrong angle. She felt a hard stab and the familiar feel of blood leaking from her skin. Although the woman didn't make any indication of the pain, the man above her froze nevertheless. She knew that he must smell the iron in the air, and wondered if he was about to attack her. He moved from her astoundingly quickly, hovering from the woman a few feet away. "What is the meaning of this?" His voice was on edge, rougher than the woman had ever heard it.

Although he'd kidnapped her, she hadn't feared his wrath once since her arrival. That was changing quickly as his eyes became red, and the veins around them began to show. When she didn't reply, he screamed the sentence once more at the woman. Caroline was disappointed that her voice stuttered when she began to talk, "I… I.. Niklaus…" The last thing the woman wanted to do was produce the knife that she'd brought along on her date with a hybrid.

She let herself gulp deeply; frowning when she realized that he had probably heard it. "Show me, Caroline." His voice was like ice, frozen over and unchanging. The blonde refused to meet his eyes, keeping them trained on the ground before her. He was before her in a flash, forcing her to meet his eyes and repeating the sentence again, his pupils dilating. "Show me what you have behind your back."

The blonde had shaking hands as she reached behind her and retrieved the knife. It was a puny little thing; she mentally cursed herself for believing that she could harm him with it at all. The image of her attempting to stab him only to break the knife popped into her mind, amusing the woman despite the horrible timing.

The eyes of the man that she had previously been conversing were still blood-red, but his pupils were black and dangerous. She wondered how she would've been naïve enough to bring a knife with her as he practically growled in the woman's direction. "You were going to escape? Stab me?" He forced out, his voice somehow even more cold than it previously had been.

She could make out his fangs beneath his upper lip and shivered, seemingly only fueling his anger. "No! I…" Caroline was too shaken to actually speak, standing from the log and backing against a tree to create space between the two.

"Then what," he growled as he sped in front of her, trapping the young woman against the tree. "Were your plans," each set of words grew harder; this time he snatched the knife from her hands as he spoke. "With this? You planned to betray me?"

"No!" His gaze hardened, so she found herself beginning to backtrack, "I mean, yes. But I wasn't going to do it, Niklaus… I wasn't…" Words were lost between the two as his anger continued to swell. Niklaus was seeing black when the knife finally plunged deep into her stomach, catching both of them by surprise.

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Do you hate me or what? Writing Klaus is a struggle for me, so please review with opinions as to how I did! To defend the end of this chapter, I truly believe that he'd do something rash after opening up to the woman.

Xoxo.


	5. V

My strategy for writing this story is stopping every five minutes to dance by myself, and then continuing. Doesn't seem very productive at first, but it's proven to be a jammin' method. The truth is revealed in this chapter! I hadn't meant for it to be so soon, but the story is moving a lot faster than anticipated. It will probably be fifteen chapters at most…. But I've been thinking about a sequel so time shall tell!

The quotes are a new thing but if I think it's relevant, I'm going to start posting them regularly. Enjoy, kids.

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"_Caroline has that naïve, hopeful but safe bubble. And then you bring in Klaus, who lives out every dream and fantasy, and who still at the core wants the same thing Caroline wants: just to be loved. And so you have these two opposing characters with the same intention at the bottom of their hearts; I think that that's what brings out their chemistry." _** Candice Accola **on Klaroline

_[__Love] "It is loyalty through good and bad times. It settles for less than perfection and makes allowances for human weaknesses." _**Ann Landers****.**

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Blood oozed from the open wound startlingly fast , faster than Caroline believed to be normal. She wondered through her oddly-painless haze if Klaus had hit an organ. He was a vampire; he'd be aware if he did that, wouldn't he? She understood his anger, but the man wouldn't kill her unless it was an accident, right? She had faith in him, no matter how foolish it was.

The blonde watched his mortified face, his red eyes and veins still showing. She found herself counting her blessings that he could control himself, because she knew most vampires would have at least licked her wounds at this point. She stood against the tree, although the knife had been cast aside, the woman stood without a hunch. She imagined that it looked as if she was stabbed _to_ the tree.

The teen held her stomach tightly, dark crimson spilling from under her hands and staining her red silk dress; the blood formed an odd splotched shape that resembled a wolf… if you squint. Perhaps she just lost more blood than she originally thought. Vaguely she reminded herself to ask Rebekah for a new garment that resembled it; the dress had been truly lovely.

Klaus looked torn between watching her bleed to death and bolting. As her blood flow slowly began to thin, she found herself finally reaching out for the man. "Klaus… please." She whimpered, not even sure what she was begging for. It wasn't like he could do much. The thought occurred to her several minutes later that perhaps she was asking for her death, as opposed to her life; anything to end the agony that was her insides spilling out onto the forest ground.

She found that holding herself up was impossible now, and plopped on her bum before she had much say in the manner. Her legs weren't physically able to hold her. Niklaus was beside her in a second, finally controlling his face so that it appeared normal. '_As if it ever was!_' Her mind joked, causing the blonde to attempt a laugh at herself; coughs sputtered out instead of laughter, however. "Hush, sweetheart." He murmured; his eyes just as wide as before. To be honest, the man seemed more shocked over his actions than Caroline was. She expected that should he discover her escape route, the woman wouldn't make it out alive.

Caroline just hadn't anticipated her will to live. "I'm dying." She managed to croak out, losing enough blood that made her positive that she would lose consciousness soon. She was now lying in a puddle of her own blood. "Are you.." she hissed, hating the sting that overcame her with each word, "Are you going to lick up after me?" When the man didn't reply, she nodded weakly. "Hybrid humor s'not for e'veryone."

Klaus ignored her rambling, instead cradling her face and forcing the woman's eyes to stay trained on him. "It was an accident, love, I swear. You have to believe me."

The blonde leaned against the tree lazily, slipping from his grip and letting her head fall back. "S'okay." She muttered, her eyes fluttering slowly, drooping with each passing minute. "Deserved it."

It was then that the blonde lost consciousness, letting the peaceful sleep that had been vying for her attention win out. The last thing she thought before leaving the realm of the living was how thick Klaus' eyelashes were.

* * *

_Caroline Forbes awoke in a start, glancing around the hut for the source of disruption frantically. The entire ground had shaken beneath her, she was absolutely sure of it. She stood carefully on her tip toes in hopes of keeping her papa asleep; luckily, she was successful. An angry and hung over father was one she's dealt with before, and it isn't pretty. _

_She frowned as she realized that she'd fallen asleep with the fireplace still lit, and cursed her blonde nature. That was hazardous at best, especially with someone who was drenched in alcohol in the house. With a deep sigh, she slipped on her shoes and grabbed a bucket near the door. The well wasn't far from their hut, only about a five minute walk, but a five minute walk at night is just as creepy as a twenty-minute walk in night. Their hut was near the heart of the forest, and any sort of animal could be out. _

_Crickets were making a symphony around the woman as she shuffled toward her destination; sleep still heavy in her blue eyes. "Caroline!" She heard a woman scream frantically from the direction of their house, only to frown slightly. Wasn't her mother visiting her aunt? "Caroline, you scared me half to death, child!" The woman panted as she neared the young girl, regaining her breath from the slight jog she had broken out into to reach her. _

_The blonde knew that she was in a dream, but she still couldn't help but to stare at the woman before her with wide saucer eyes. She had the same naturally blonde hair, only a few shades darker than her own, and strikingly similar facial features. Caroline knew that this was what her real mother looked like; there was no other possibility. Her mind couldn't create someone who looked so…accurate. Real. _

_She found herself throwing her arms around her dream-mom, squeezing tight enough that she was certain that the woman would stop breathing. The woman laughed in surprised, but returned the hug just as eagerly. As if she'd never have the chance again. "Caroline?" The woman finally spoke once more, her voice hazed over in confusion. "What are you doing out here at this time, girl?" _

_The teenager had realized that she was crying until her mother wiped the tears gingerly, looking so concerned that Caroline almost wanted to laugh. "Nothing, mama. I was just getting water to put out the fire." She replied, unsure why she was keeping up pretenses that the dream was real. Perhaps because of the fear that if she voiced her disbelief, she would wake up._

_She wasn't ready to ever wake up. _

"_At this hour? That's something you should have woken your no-good father for." Her mother scolded lightly, taking the bucket from her hands and beginning the journey. _

_She decided that her dream-reality father must be a decent person; more so than the father she had grown up with, at least. "I'll remember that for next time, mama." She promised dearly, knowing that there wouldn't be a next time. Still, the two walked side by side. "Where have you been, mama?" Caroline decided that she was allowed to say 'mama' every sentence if she wanted; to make up for lost time. It felt good on her tongue, and she realized not for the first time that she'd never gotten the opportunity to say it in real life. _

"_I'm sorry that I abandoned you, Caroline. I hate myself every day for it. Sometimes, you make the wrong decisions because you believe that they are right. Learn from my mistakes; leave before you are in too deep."_

* * *

Caroline awoke with a start, feeling the heavy weight of reality this time. Her face was drenched, and the blonde wasn't completely surprised to find that she had been crying in her sleep. As she took in the unfamiliar surroundings, her stomach churned violently with the silent question of her whereabouts.

And then she realized- her stomach! The woman glanced down at her attire, startled to find herself in one of Klaus' shirts. It was as white as the snow, without a drop of blood to be found anywhere near it. The cloth was so big on her that she was drowning in it, the end of the fabric reaching her kneecaps. Pressing a sleeve to her nose, she relished in the woodsy scent that came along with Klaus. Pretending that it never happened, the young woman pulled the shirt back and stared at her flawless (or at least stab-less) stomach. Sigh of relief.

She took in the surroundings, frowning at the lack of personal touch anywhere. The walls were painted a deep, crimson red that reminded her of the blood that had seeped from her who knows how long before. On the wall hung a family crest, the Mikaelson family crest she assumed. All signs pointed to her being in Klaus' room. Finally, her gaze landed on the table that was perched in the corner, and the man sitting at it.

Niklaus had been trying not to stare, as when she finally noticed him sitting there, hunched over and probably without a lick of sleep, he looked away. The shame was written all over his face, and Caroline hated that she was sort of surprised that he was ashamed with himself. The woman knew that he had killed many people over the years, so coming close to doing the same to her shouldn't be a shock to his system. It still appeared to be, and she decided that that meant something. What it meant was lost on her, but it definitely meant _something. _ "Niklaus?" She finally spoke, her voice still groggy from the sleep that had overcome her.

"Yes, love?" The man questioned from where he was perched, hovering over a paper and scribbling away. The blonde knew that she should fear the man before her, but she couldn't feel anything other than pity for his past.

He hadn't given her the chance to explain that she'd changed her mind about escaping and leaving him; she found herself mad about that, more than anything. Despite that, Caroline could see that it was in his nature to assume the worst. So, if that was the case, why didn't he let her die? Obviously the betrayal would have hit home, and yet…he saved her. She knew better than to be thankful for him saving her life, when he was the one to put it in danger in the first place, but she couldn't overlook that significant _something_ that his forgiveness implied. "I wasn't going to do it, you know."

She saw him pause from whatever he was doing, before starting once more a few seconds later. "You don't have to stay here anymore, Caroline."

Caroline felt her jaw drop, dumbfounded by the change of attitude. She knew that leaving was exactly what she had wanted this whole time, but she didn't think about her direction when she was actually free. Somehow, without realizing it, she couldn't imagine herself anywhere but in this lonely manor with it's equally as lonely residents. Had that happened when she and Klaus had their heart to heart, or was she simply lying to herself this whole time?

The words of her mother from her dream echoed in her mind, '_sometimes, you make the wrong decisions because you believe that they are right.' _The young woman could relate to that statement immensely, thinking of her failed escape attempt. However, she knew that they had been meant in a different context. A context meant to turn her away from Niklaus. Something her subconscious would definitely not do, by the way. Even if she was just stabbed by him. "I don't suppose controlling dreams would be on your long list of vampire talents?" She finally asked, her eyes burning a hole through the top of his head.

The man glanced up this time, his eyes stoic and serious. "Just another reason for you to leave, I suppose. You never know what sort of rubbish I could fill your head with."

"I'm not leaving." She spoke rather indignantly, giving him a sharp glance. She'd just been stabbed, now she's being thrown out! Well, over her dead body. "You want me to leave with too much vigor. I think I'll stay simply to dance on your nerves!"

In a split second Caroline had her arms pinned above her head against the headboard. Klaus was half-leaning over her as if he was trying to avoid as much contact as possible. The thought made her sad. "I told you to _leave."_ His voice was a low growl at best, a fair warning.

She stared directly into his eyes, determination shining through above all else. "Listen closely, Niklaus, because I will only say this once. You're not my puppet master, and therefore you WILL NOT make my decisions for me from this moment on. You don't earn trust by telling people what to do, so _kindly_ remove your hands from me."

When he broke apart from the girl, the hybrid moved across the room once more. His back was turned from her, and she'd thought that she was finished speaking her mind. She was wrong, of course. She took a stand, as well, still a few feet from the man. "Just to be clear, I refuse to put up with someone who has the same mentalities as my papa. That WILL be the last time you harm me, or I assure you that I will be out of your life forever."

They both stood in silence, knowing that despite the fact that he'd been begging her to leave; he didn't actually want to be without her. "I'm no better than him. How can I acquit myself?" Klaus spoke after what felt like an eternity. His voice was devoid of emotion, a common defense mechanism for the Mikaelson's.

Caroline found herself scoffing at the man before her, "I've forgiven you, Niklaus. You've been acquitted already." The blonde suddenly felt extremely vulnerable as she took in her attire once more. "Did you change me?" She found herself asking with accusation on her tone.

Niklaus let out an audible sigh as he turned to face her, not looking altogether pleased with the situation. "Rebekah did." He seemed unable to meet her eyes as he continued, "I apologize if being in my room is an inconvenience." The man paused for a brief second before meeting the teenager's eyes. "I couldn't bear the thought of you waking up and leaving without saying goodbye." Although Klaus had been honest with her (for the most part) every step of the way, she found herself taken aback at how open the vampire was being with his feelings.

"Well," She spoke lightly, "I'd be a very poor houseguest if I did that, now wouldn't I?" The blonde resumed her seat on the huge bed (really, it was twice the size of her own!) and crossed her legs, letting the shirt drape over her legs modestly. "I believe we have some matters to discuss, do we not?"

For the first time in her entire stay at the manor, Klaus walked at a normal speed to the bed. She had been beginning to think it was impossible for him to slow down those legs! He sat down facing her, crossing his legs in a similar manner as she. "What would you like to discuss?"

The blonde looked at the man before her as if he was an idiot, "How am I alive, Niklaus? I was certain that I was on my death bed…"

The man before her held that same look of shame, and she wondered if he was ever going to lose it. "Vampire blood heals humans. While it's in your system, it will also make you stronger than usual, and heighten your senses." Part of the young woman was relieved that he knew he would be able to heal her the whole time. There are no excuses for his behavior, but at least he hadn't truly wished for her death. "Also, I'll be able to sense you. Your location, at least. Perhaps a very strong emotion or two, but all of the side effects should fade in a matter of days."

Caroline absorbed the information that she'd just been granted with. Vampires could save so many sick patients, she wondered vaguely if there were many medics with the condition. It would surely be smart. "What about the dream you placed in my mind? I… I have the feeling that the woman in the dream was my real mother. Was she not?" This question was more difficult for the blonde to ask. Perhaps her imagination was running away from her and she only saw what she wished to see. No matter how much the woman looked like her, it could have been a fabrication of her mind.

"Aye. I… I didn't mean to cause you tears with the dream, sweetheart. I only wished for you to be able to stop searching in the face of every stranger for her. I longed for you to have a solid image of her to hold, I suppose. Before you left."

The blonde tried to steady her breathing before she asked her next question, the words tumbling out so quickly that she almost couldn't catch her breath: "How do you know what she looks like, Niklaus? I don't wish to leave, but I demand the truth, _the honest truth_, if you'd like me to stay."

Klaus looked absolutely torn. When he spoke, it took the young woman a few seconds to realize that he wasn't addressing her. "Let me tell her my point of view and you can embellish later, sister."

She wasn't altogether surprised at the intrusion, grinning at the man before her. "Is Rebekah pouting because she's left out?"

The grin that the handsome hybrid sent her in return made the young woman want to kiss him, but she knew that she had to refrain herself. He hadn't earned his trust back yet, she wasn't _that _easy. "I dare say so, and now she is peeved at you for speaking so negatively of her." When Caroline rolled her eyes in turn, his grin only grew bigger. She wasn't necessarily used to seeing him smile, and the woman had to admit that it was a vast improvement from the pouting that had been previously taking place.

Caroline found herself waiting patiently for Klaus to either stop listening to Rebekah or start speaking. She wasn't quite sure if Rebekah was still talking, to be honest, and she felt herself feel left out—not for the first time—for being the only occupant of the house to not have super hearing. Really, the longer she spent around the family, the more she felt weak being a human. She wasn't quite sure what to make of her new qualms over her humanity. Luckily, she didn't have time to think about it, because Niklaus began to speak.

"I understand that Elijah informed you how we were made, as well as Esther's affair?" When the young woman nodded, he continued: "Well, Esther believed that because she made the _monstrosity _that would be me, thus it was her duty to _fix_ her mistake. She cast a spell to make my werewolf side dormant, a spell that requires the blood of the Petrova doppelganger to break. That would be where Katerina entered."

The blonde remembered this part of the story from when Elijah had spoken of the woman. "You and Elijah were both taken with her, but she fled." She paused, considering everything that had been said. "But you didn't just need her blood, did you, Niklaus? Or else she wouldn't have fled, and Elijah wouldn't beg you to release her." The two stared at each other, pausing for a beat before she continued, "You had to kill her, didn't you?"

"I'm afraid so, love." He spoke at last, looking in her eyes for any anger or fear. Instead he saw only a knowing look pass through her eyes. "What is it?" He dared to ask, almost afraid of what the woman had to say. She had quite the knack for seeing into his mind and reaching out the things to say that would touch him the most. It was quite unnerving.

She shrugged indifferently, "I was only thinking that Elijah was the one who loved Katerina, not you. If you loved the woman, killing her wouldn't have been an option." Klaus thought about the Petrova woman, and how she always seemed to know the thing to say to make him satisfied. She'd been beautiful but…

The blonde woman before him looked absolutely gorgeous in only his shirt. Unlike Katerina, she knew what to say to press his buttons—and when pressing his buttons would be alright. It seemed as if she was his other half, that she belonged by his side. He thought that perhaps she was correct, as she often is. "You're correct, but love wouldn't have made a difference, I'm afraid. I was…" he paused, looking to the side indifferently, "I still am, obsessed with finding a way to break the curse and spread my gene."

As always, Caroline was astounded with his honestly. Admitting his obsession before would be one thing, but admitting that he still harbored it was another. She was positive that his man cared for her a great deal, stab or no stab. "So, Katerina got away. What happened next?" She asked as she went about grabbing a pillow and holding it on her lap comfortably. The story almost sounded like a fairytale, and she found herself entranced in it as if it were one. _Witches, vampires, doppelgangers, oh my!_

"She… she drank the blood of a vampire, and then killed herself. When she arose, she was one of us." His voice was rough and angry, as if this betrayal happened only yesterday. She found herself placing a hand atop his, causing the man to jerk his head in her direction, gazing into her eyes. "The spell was impossible to break from that point on, although not for lack of trying. I've since spent hundreds of years tracking her, so I could do what I had set out to do to begin with: kill her. She thought that becoming a vampire would free herself of me… I made it my duty to inform her otherwise." The blonde felt a shiver run through her spine at his vengefulness, hating that side of him but accepting it for who he was.

She gulped deeply, nodding. "How does this tie together with my kidnapping?" She found herself asking at last, enjoying the story but still not seeing the relevance.

Niklaus sighed deeply. "You are going to hate me, love." The blonde waited patiently, knowing that he would continue once he found his words. It didn't seem like he used to divulging so many secrets and Caroline understood that he would need time to think. Finally, he continued: "Rebekah and I lived in this house alone, about seventeen years ago." His eyes flickered to the girl once more, sighing again before continuing, "And she had fallen in love with a human in town, someone married… with a child on the way."

The blonde watched as he continued to struggle with his words, amazed that one could live for so long and not master the art of stating facts. Perhaps he was more concerned with how she would react, as she already had a sense of dread building in her as he began to speak. "Rebekah and Elizabeth were drawn to each other from the moment they met, pregnancy or no pregnancy. So, it was after she gave birth that Elizabeth made the difficult decision to leave her old life behind and become a vampire, to live beside Bekah forever."

Caroline blinked, once, twice. Words escaped her as she realized for the first time that her mother had not died, but simply abandoned her with papa without a second thought. She was glad when Niklaus continued, because she hadn't been positive that she would be able to say anything without tears escaping. "However, Elizabeth hadn't realized that Rebekah and I are a package deal. She also hadn't realized my plans to create more hybrids. When she did, the woman attempted to convince Rebekah to try to kill me. When she refused, Elizabeth fled."

His eyes hardened once more, "However, not before she tipped Katerina off that I was on her trail. We were both aware that she visits every couple of months, to make sure that you are alive and well." He paused once again, his eyes just as hard as they previously had been. "Our plan had been to take you and use you as bait, so we could stake her once and for all. We weren't positive if you would have to be killed to lure her, so we prepared for the worst."

The woman sat stunned, wishing that words didn't escape her but still remaining speechless nevertheless. Klaus gently intertwined their fingers, looking into her eyes as he continued: "Bekah still loves Elizabeth, despite her betrayal. She probably always will, and I believe that is why she feels a kinship with you. She was there when you were born, after all." The man licked his lips before carrying on, "We both knew that we couldn't kill you, and after last night we decided that we owe it to you not to kill her."

"But know this, Caroline." Niklaus continued, his eyes searching deep within hers, "I would love to make her pay for the hell that she had released upon you by leaving. You and my sister deserve so much more than to be abandoned by someone who was supposed to love you unconditionally. Quite frankly, the thought of the woman makes my blood boil."

Caroline couldn't address all that she had just learned. The young woman simply could not process the information that quickly, and she knew any questions surrounding her mother leaving her would have to wait until she could grasp the idea that the woman sat by and watched as her father used her as a punching bag for years. Without doing a single thing about it. Finally, she forced her voice to work. "How could Rebekah plan to kill someone whom she still loves?"

Niklaus gave her a hesitant smile, unsure if the information that he'd just given her would turn the girl against him. His intentions had been the opposite; he hoped desperately that the woman could see that. "I suppose that is a question for my sister, although I will say this: Rebekah doesn't do anything half-speed. That includes falling in love, and that includes the pain that is associated with losing it."

Caroline still wasn't positive how to handle this vast amount of information, and she found herself standing before she realized that she had been doing it. "Thank you for trusting me with the truth, Niklaus, as well as for saving my life." She let her hand trail through his hair to fix a flyaway, and then leaned down to press a kiss on his cheek. "I think that I'd like to be alone to process the day's happenings, as it was all very… overwhelming."

As in over her head as she was, the girl still found herself with a silly grin when the man bid her ado. "Goodnight, sweetheart. Dream of me, whenever sleep shall find you."

Although she had just woken up, when the woman returned her the guest room, sleep found her very quickly. Before it did, she couldn't help but to rehash the day's events: she'd been stabbed, healed, gotten extremely closer with the man who kidnapped her, was also pushed further from the man who kidnapped her, learned that her mother had left her instead of died (and also had lesbian tendencies.)

The dreams that followed were a clash of werewolves, her papa, blood-red eyes and the face that she'd recently come to learn was the one of her mother. The most common factor, however, was the handsome face that she was trying desperately not to drown in. One Niklaus Mikaelson.

* * *

A shorter chapter, but probably my favorite to write so far. I hope that you guys don't think that she recovered from the stab too quickly, Caroline was meant to be written as a strong woman who can see passed the 'how' and go straight to the 'why.' Which is why she knows that Klaus was hurt and didn't mean to hurt her. ANYWHO.

I seriously cannot thank my reviewers enough. I love you all, and I enjoy hearing what you guys feel about the plot. I feel like I'm friends with all of you, which might be creepy, but…whatever. So, this chapter is dedicated to these lovely people: **VD, Sara, bubblesmonster, Alixx4, Keri,** **truthteller4739** (lol, weirdest review ever btw, but I'll go with it), **WhySoCuriousGeorge**, and the three unnamed guests. Y'all rock.

I don't normally answer reviews, and it seems that I've lost a reader—so she probably won't read this anyways, but: **Keri** – I definitely understand why you don't see a romance happening from that point. However, Klaus knows that he can heal her. Obviously, he wasn't thinking that at the time, but it remains the truth nonetheless. For me, I compare a stab to Damon killing Jeremy in TVD. Perhaps you aren't team Damon, but there are a lot of people who are, and who believe that Elena still has feelings for the man. It's also comparable to him having Tyler bite her so he could play superhero, jsjsjs. Niklaus felt more for the woman than he realized which is why he reacted so harshly to her betrayal. Personally, I see Klaus as someone who does everything he can to sabotage his happiness—so he has a reason to be angry most of the time—and this just ties into that for me. I hope you'll change your mind and give the story a chance, but if not—cheers. : )

**Guest** - I think you're correct that the Klaroline happens quickly in this story. I meant for that to happen, but I agree that it has happened almost too quickly. Unfortunately, I'm already in pretty deep with the Klaroline lovin'. I will say this in my defense, it's supposed to be a pretty instant thing. She doesn't want to be kidnapped on principal, but she's drawn to Klaus in a way that she hadn't ever been drawn to anyone before. The 'without a fight' in the summary wasn't meant to be a physical thing, it was more her moral fight over falling in love with her captor. Which happens quickly, to her dismay. Klaus opening up is odd, but the instant draw is supposed to be two-sided. I think that Klaus wants Caroline to 'save' him as much as she secretly longs to. Luckily this chapter will take everything a step back, so I hope it becomes more realistic for you.


	6. VI

"_Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none." _**William Shakespeare**

"_Klaus hasn't figured out that you don't make friends with fear. He has a hard time building relationships based on trust because he feels like his family abandoned him, and that his father never loved him and so he can't—it's so dysfunctional that he can't build those relationships organically. " _**Joseph Morgan** on Klaus

* * *

Caroline tossed and turned in her sleep for what felt like hours. When the young woman finally found herself giving up on the pretense of sleep, the moon was high in the sky. She opened all the windows in the extravagant plum colored room, allowing the breeze to blow through and realizing that she couldn't tap dance around thinking anymore.

Her mother had been alive her entire life. Well, not exactly alive. Still, she was walking around, not buried. A part of Caroline rejoiced by nature, happy to have her mother back. More prominent was the abandonment that she felt. The woman visited every night and watched as her father tortured her….the blonde found herself wondering if being with Klaus was necessarily worse than being with her father, and if his plan to use her as bait would have worked at all. After all, if the woman went seventeen years without a peep, surely the arrival of one hybrid wouldn't rouse her that much?

The blonde was conflicted on the matter. She felt hurt, above all else, for being left; her heart ached as she thought about the pain that she was going through, and the pain that Klaus must have been through when his parents similarly abandoned him. And Klaus—oh, she couldn't even begin thinking about that man! She was a whirlwind of emotions around him, and it seemed as if they continued to whirl without an endpoint in sight.

Admittedly, she's trusted him way too much. Still, Caroline is positive that she can see the man. She understands why he hurts, but that doesn't necessarily mean that it's her job to fix it. Honestly, the young woman wasn't positive that it was possible to fix him. And quite frankly, she felt weird thinking about 'fixing' him like he was some cast aside plush toy, and decided that the better turn would be nurturing his emotions. She wasn't sure it was she who could nurture his emotional damage, not after everything that had just happened.

She scoffed to herself, shaking her head and thinking about when he promised that no one would lay a hand on her. Just further proof that she could not trust the man; his word obviously meant nothing. The woman didn't regret forgiving him right away to his face, as he would have attributed the incident as to more of a reason that he was a 'monster'—therefore making his emotional damage and his moodiness all the worse.

Still, she knew that he was not that easily forgiven. When Caroline is around him, the woman tended to have trouble thinking clearly. She was grateful for the time alone, so she could get her head on straight.

The blonde decided to treat him with indifference until he did something to earn her trust. She wouldn't strike against him (or attempt, god forbid) but she definitely wouldn't succumb to him, either.

There was also her sudden release to consider as well. The young woman sighed, taking a seat on the edge of her bed. It didn't feel right to stay with the family. She hadn't thought about it before, but learning the real reason that she was at the house made her lodging… complicated. For one, Klaus and Rebekah had done pretty much nothing to earn the woman's trust. Therefore, she must assume that they were still ready to kill her, should her mother not arrive.

The other obvious reason that she could not impose was due to the fact that she had no ties with any of them. She was infatuated with Niklaus, of course, but that doesn't mean that you live with said person. Rebekah and Elijah were acquaintances, more than anything else. Oddly enough, she couldn't bring herself to abandon these emotionally abused vampires.

It seemed as if everyone that had ever cared for the three had fled. Their parents, their other brothers, Katerina, Elizabeth, the list continued she was sure. Perhaps it was because she tried to do good by all, but she refused to be another one of those abandoners. That is _why_ the Mikaelson's are the way they are, and two lefts do not make a right. However, that doesn't mean that she must be naïve about the situation.

If her mother comes to check on her, then surely she must stay some place near the village. Perhaps if she found the woman, she would take the young girl in until she fled again. After all, she was hurt that she was left, but she understands why initially the blonde baby was left with papa. A vampire and newborns probably don't mix well together at all. She only wondered why her mother had failed to save her once puberty hit.

The woman let out a shaky breath, thinking about not only the day that had just passed but her life as a whole. The blonde couldn't help but to feel as if there wasn't a person in the world who loved her, when all she could do was try to love people with her entire being. It felt terribly unfair… and lonely, at that. Not for the first time, the young lady let a tear slip down her cheek at the fate that she'd come to know as a reality.

It was the middle of the night, but she was dealing with vampires—and Caroline was fairly sure that they roamed the night (except the Mikaelson's, of course), so she made the decision on a whim to find her mother. She'd been staying at the Mikaelson residence for two weeks now, so it was extremely possible that the woman might not be in town yet… but her papa might know more than he let on, if he had been so bitter about Elizabeth's departure for such an extended period of time. The man never had sadness over her wife's 'death,' only hatred over her departure….Caroline wasn't sure she blamed him for that, she was pretty mad at the woman for abandoning them, as well.

Standing, the blonde made her way to the extensive closet that she had come to love, despite herself. As she looked through the dress selections, she chose a cotton dark brown dress, slipping a pink cloak over it for good measure, as it would sure to be a bit chilly at this hour. She thought about what she could use as leverage, to get her father to tell her anything about the woman who had abandoned them both. The man had been a bitter, spiteful man at best, and the blonde knew better than to show up empty handed and demanding answers.

Especially, she thought with a frown, as he was probably starving to death without her. Not that it mattered, really, because he didn't care about food as long as the alcohol continued to flow. Even after everything that happened, she still felt sympathy for the man. He was addicted to the substance, plain and simple. He had also been left with a baby when he was obvious unequipped for the job, not that Elizabeth seemed to have cared.

She recalled a specific night when he had been falling and slurring more than usual. The woman had seen people intoxicated enough to know that the man wouldn't remember the night come the next morning, as he wasn't all there as he beat upon her. Still, she remembered his truthful confessions over never wanting a child to begin with as if it were yesterday. Him saying that it had only been her mother that wanted her.

At the time, the words had fueled her strength. As she thought about them now, on her journey to the spacious Mikaelson kitchen, they only did the opposite. Now she knew otherwise. Now she knew that no one had really wanted her in the first place… to be quite honest, the woman wasn't sure that she could handle that sad reality.

It was only then that she realized why she felt such a kinship to the family that had abducted her: they were one in the same. All three of the Mikaelson's acted as if they were truly alone in the journey, despite the fact that they have each other. It dawned on Caroline that she must see herself in their loneliness. They'd all been abandoned time and time again, she included, and the blonde simply ignored that fact until now.

When the blonde entered the kitchen, she felt foolish for being surprised to find Morgan, one of the maids, there with a bucket and sponge in hand. She wore the same professional smile that she always did, simply nodding in the direction of the woman as she took her leave through a door that led towards the living room. The human let out a soft sigh, scowling at the back of the red head for being so antisocial. What could she possibly have to clean at this hour anyway?

As if on cue, Elijah was beside her; Caroline noted that the man seemed to take pride in each time that she jumped at his arrival, and thus did her best to do the opposite. It was more successful than she would've assumed, as the girl barely moved an inch. "Eli." She nodded in recognition, raising an eyebrow at the familiar colored stain upon his shirt, "I take it your meal is what Morgan is off to clean?"

Caroline found that what she enjoyed most about this vampire was his ability to brush off his vampirism as if it were simply a diet. They both knew that it was more than that, in which the person would become a monster of sorts, but when he acted so casually about his condition, the blonde found that she could pretend that it was normal for a moment or two. So, his thin lips were tilted upward ever so slightly as he shrugged, "Would you prefer it to be you?" The man smirked as the woman glared in return, settling upon taking a loaf of bread with her. "So, I heard that you are a free woman; I suppose congratulations are in order."

The two walked into the living room, Caroline pausing briefly to scoff and roll her eyes as she spotted the red head on the floor, scrubbing a puddle of blood with a brush. She made Elijah agree to release anyone who he fed on while she was staying, seeing as constant dead people was kind of a downer on any human. He'd held his side of the deal, but that didn't mean that he was any more discreet about his feeding. "If you heard about my freedom, then I suppose you've also heard about the incident earlier as well."

"Indeed I did." He nodded from the back of the sofa that he was leaning casually on. "What is a stab in an eternity of violence, anyway?"

"That is the difference between you and me, Elijah," The blonde voiced as she looked at their collection of alcohol. Admittedly, her father would drink anything within his reach, so she should choose the cheapest liquor. If only she could figure out which that was, as they were all in expensive crystal containers. She frowned, picking up a random jar finally. "You have eternity and I have fifty odd years. Most people aren't shanked once in that time and it happened to me after only seventeen years on Earth!"

Elijah nodded vaguely, speeding beside the girl so that he could take the jar from her grasp. "Your alcoholic father wouldn't appreciate how smooth that rum is nearly enough." He scolded lightly, reaching for a jar that looked obviously less expensive than the last. "This should do." He nodded, handing it over to the blonde. "My point, dear Caroline, is only that in a couple hundred years, you may look back on yesterday and laugh."

The blonde scowled in return, "Really, Elijah? What makes you assume that I will become one of you?"

Caroline found herself wishing that she could smack the knowing look off of the Original vampires face, but she knew better. "You are still here, are you not? Even as you prepare for your departure, I find myself confident that you will return. On a similar note, you are alive. If Niklaus did not have a future plan for you, or feelings, that would not be the case."

She turned to face him, leaning against the drink table casually and shaking her head. "And in your mind, infatuation equals eternal love?"

Elijah remained stoic, as always, as he shook his head. "I'm afraid not, but the notion of the two often go together. Infatuation will equal an eternity alone, if you aren't careful, but it will most certainly equal an eternity of some kind, if you're in association with a vampire."

The blonde remained unimpressed. "Well, feel free to let me know the next time another predication of yours pans out. It isn't until then that I will develop faith in your psychic abilities, Eli." With that, the girl turned from the room and waved her hand lazily. "Ta. I'm unsure when I will return, but I shall at some point."

* * *

The walk to her old childhood home was no joke from the Mikaelson manor. One had to cut through the woods and several roads before reaching the estate, and by the time that she arrived, the sun was slowly rising toward the sky. Dawn looked even more beautiful when you are free to do as you please, the young woman couldn't help but to notice as she eyed the front of the hut.

It held its usual appeal by looking utterly unappealing. Veins grew around the sides of the house, slowly rising up the wall's that held it together as well. Caroline would think that the hut was rather beautiful, if it weren't for the man who occupied it. Still, the woman sighed heavily and knocked three times on the thin door. When she got no answer, as to be expected, she pushed on the door to open it. Her papa was never one to lock up after himself, so she found herself frowning deeply as it did not budge.

"Hello, papa?" She called out, pushing with more aggression on the wooden door. The man never left the house unless it was to a tavern, so the blonde knew that he had to be inside. With all her might, she jammed her shoulder against the door. It budged, but did not open. After repeating that action about three times, it finally burst open anticlimactically.

A gasp rose up into her throat before it could be stopped. Her father was lying unconscious on the floor with a terribly distinctive bite mark in his neck. There was no blood surrounding the man at all, and the young girl knew without having to check that he was dead; drained of blood completely. "Papa." She spoke without really meaning to as she rushed to his side, unsure of the correct emotion to feel.

Sure, this man had abused Caroline for years, but he was still her father. He remained the man who taught her how to fish, as well as the same man who originally taught the woman how to make a bar of soap. With a small, silent frown, she stared into his terrified blue eyes. They had been pointing into the corner of the room, and without much thought, she followed the line of sight.

The blonde supposed that she should have been surprised to find the figure lurking in the corner of the room, but her capacity for being surprised had increased ten-fold recently. As she took in the other blonde figure, Caroline found herself being relieved. She was unsure how to find the woman before her, but it seemed as if she beat her to it. "Elizabeth." She addressed, her tone sounding suspiciously like a Mikaelson.

Elizabeth was trapped in the corner due to the light streaming through the windows of the hut, and Caroline found herself happy with that fact. She didn't necessarily trust the woman before her. She also meant a mental note to ask the Mikaelson family how they can go out during the day. The two women stared at each other, blue eyes into blue eyes.

Elizabeth broke the staring contest first. "Caroline," She breathed, appearing happy. "You are so beautiful."

Caroline stared between her dead father and her dead mother, glaring at the woman before her. "Are you responsible for this?" The blonde didn't bother to wait for the answer, as she was fairly sure that she knew it anyways. Tears betrayed the confidence that she wore like a mask over her voice. "Do you truly have the audacity to abandon us both with responsibilities that we could not carry," her voice rose uncontrollably. It seemed she had no control over her emotions the past few days. Or ever. "And return only to murder him? The LAST family that I had left?" She cried, glaring fiercely at the cowering blonde.

The woman who gave birth to her looked absolutely astounded by the change of events. "I killed that monster as a favor to you, Caroline. Because I love you, and because you have always and will always have me."

The human didn't let her glare waver, staring into the eyes that she had once dreamed of: "I have never had you, Elizabeth. And if you knew me at all, you would know that I would not wish this upon any kin."

Elizabeth looked disappointed with the reply, to say the least. "I am truly sorry for leaving you, Caroline. There is no excuse for my actions, except the fact that I was young and naïve at the time. I was merely two years older than you," She spoke gently, looking into her daughter's eyes from across the room. "And I thought that I was in love."

Caroline rolled her eyes, "Yes, I've heard the story. It doesn't make up for the fact that you watched me abused for years without doing anything about it. You think that killing my father after I've escaped his wrath helps me? It only hurts my soul to know that I am the last of my family alive! You don't understand that because you do not understand anything about me. Would you like to know why you don't?" When she was met with silence, the blonde found herself screaming: "Because you haven't even tried! You just showed up and expected to be praised in all of your glory. Personally, I think that your tactics are weak. Try another approach, _mother."_

She was storming out of the door once more, determined to come back later to clean up the mess that Elizabeth would surely leave. Before she could make it past the threshold, however, an arm shot out from the corner and grabbed her. Caroline was disturbed to find herself pleased as she watched the skin that was met with the sun sizzle and burn, as if it would catch on fire at any moment. "Caroline, please wait." Her mother urged.

Of course she did. The vampire had been missing from the blonde woman's life for her whole seventeen years, she wasn't actually about to pass up a moment to speak to her birth mother. She was angry at her, but the young woman knew that some opportunities didn't always show themselves again. "Yes?" She asked once she was in the house once more, the door closed firmly and blocking the sun from that portion of the room.

"I know that I haven't been a very good mother to you, but I want to right my past wrongs. I saw with my own eyes that they did to you, Caroline, what _he _did to you. Please come away with me, we can be free of the Mikaelson's forever." The woman seemed sincere enough with her proposal, but Caroline had already made up her mind. She wasn't going to abandon them.

Caroline let her eyes roam around the small, one bedroom house. It wasn't anything fancy, she had already known that, but she could actually make it look a lot better. She dared to bet Rebekah would love to refurnish it, and the young blonde herself could plant some flowers in the front yard. She hated to admit it, but her papa being killed had been convenient in her search for a new place of residence. "I'm not leaving." She seemed to be saying that a lot lately.

"He's only going to hurt you again and again until he's done with you, you know. You are too mild tempered for a man like him, honey." Elizabeth said softly, sympathetically. The younger blonde didn't care for her mother's sympathy, to be quite honest.

"Goodbye, Elizabeth." She spoke firmly, walking towards the door once again.

"Wait." Her mother spoke, causing Caroline to roll her eyes but pause. "If you are truly staying, then I must warn you that Mikael will be coming for his children in about a month's time. I've been tracking him for months, and he hadn't been on the trail… but he's slowly heading in this direction. I'd like you to stay away from them, and Mikael. None of them would hesitate to kill you."

Caroline blinked one, twice. To be completely honest, the woman wasn't sure how to take the news. Sure, she'd heard stories about Mikael Mikaelson from each family member, at one point or another, but the idea that they were still on the run from him hadn't crossed the blonde woman's mind once before that moment. The blonde wasn't sure what to expect from him; Rebekah had told her that their family was indestructible, because they were the first vampires created… so, what could happen if he showed up, anyways?

Whatever it was, the young woman was positive that it wasn't good. She found herself nodding and reaching her hand out to shake the woman before hers. As they did just that, she spoke again, "Thank you for the warning."

Elizabeth backed herself up into the corner again as Caroline reached for the doorknob and pulled the wooden plank open. She hated to admit that she was actually startled to open the door and see Niklaus standing on the other side, as she jumped slightly. So much for being impossible for scare. The blonde caught the searching gaze of the man before her, before it seemed to have been distracted by the body of her father. "Caroline, be a doll and invite me in."

The teenager found herself glancing at her mother in the corner, who was shaking her head vigorously. "Okay. You are invited in," she was going to add a clause, something along the lines of 'as long as you don't kill my mother' but before the woman could blink, the man before her had his elbow on Elizabeth's throat, obviously restricting airflow. "Niklaus." She scowled, "What happened to sparing her life as a favor to me?"

Niklaus barely glanced her way as he retrieved a bottle of something from his jacket pocket. "I said that I would spare her life," she watched as he seemed to be searching for something, before grabbing the fire iron from the wall beside him. "I said nothing about sparing her from paying for the pain that she's caused."

Caroline found herself watching with wide eyes, as he poured a mysterious liquid on the fire iron. She frowned, finally voicing her thoughts: "What is that?"

The grin on his face paired with the look of horror on her mother's face gave the blonde a fairly good idea, but she found herself surprised at his answer. "Vervain." The flower that used to grow in this area wildly? She hadn't seen a bush since she was a kid, but perhaps that wasn't an accident at all.

"Vervain, as in the flower? Tyler had given me vervain tea for my birthday last year… what effect does it have on you?"

Klaus simply shrugged indifferently, hovering the fire iron inches from her birth mothers skin. "Perhaps we should ask Elizabeth?"

Caroline winced slightly as she watched the woman before her squirm in panic, obviously not looking forward to the violence one bit. "I have already asked _you_, Niklaus. Now release her and tell me, because you aren't doing your best at earning back my trust."

The handsome man didn't turn to face her as he spoke, "While it is a great misfortune, I'm afraid not everything is about you, love." The woman frowned as he pressed the vervain-soaked iron rot on her mother's skin, making a gruesome sizzling noise. "Did you tell Mikael of our location?" It was only then that it dawned on Caroline that the man must have heard them speaking, she had originally thought that he was angered at the sheer sight of her.

Elizabeth was too busy screaming to reply but when she eventually did, it was a weak, "No."

The handsome vampire only shook his head in return, "I wouldn't lie to me if I were you, _Liz._" With those calm words came the violent and swift action of stabbing the woman through the stomach with the iron rod. "Because it was to my knowledge that Mikael thought we were in Tokyo. When did that change, dear friend?" He had to scream these words over her cries of pain, but they were all fairly sure that she had heard them anyways, because the woman started to fess up quickly.

"I tipped him all that you were in America, but that was before I knew that you had Caroline!" She screamed, "Please, take the rod out… I'll tell you all about it, but just... please."

"You can't just go around stabbing people, Niklaus! Cease and desist!" Caroline spoke up, shaking her head at the man. She hated to admit that she wasn't surprised at his violent method of getting information. If he had stabbed a human who he fancies, he would do terrible things to vampires that he hates.

The vampire glanced over his shoulder with an amused look on his face, to Caroline's displeasure. Her goal wasn't to amuse him, but to get him to take the rod out of her mother's stomach. When he saw her glare, the man did just as he was instructed. The teenager grinned at the personal victory of having a pull over the man, and watched silently as he returned to questioning the woman. "Well, where was he last?" The man asked impatiently, his grip still on the woman's neck.

The woman glared at the man before her, "If I divulge this, any past debts will be cleared, and my life will be spared. Are we clear?" She spoke with an air of authority that made Caroline sure would only work to anger the vampire more.

She was positive that she was correct as his hold tightened on the woman's neck, "No. You will tell me this because I could have your heart in my hand in a matter of seconds. I don't do that merely because I fancy your daughter. _Now answer my question."_ He practically growled out, his eyes glaring at the woman before him twenty times fiercer than she could ever do in return.

"Florida. About 3 days ago… he didn't seem to be in a rush, I was under the impression that he would not be in this direction for a while." The woman finally choked out, grasping at her neck as the man finally released it from his hold.

The blonde knew what was happening, perhaps even before her mother. "You will make yourself scarce. I would prefer not to run into you anywhere in America for at least a hundred years. Do I make myself clear?" His pupils were dilated, and the vampire before him nodded her head slowly. "You will forget your entire experience with my family, and you will leave your daughter alone unless she is the one seeking you. You may say your goodbyes, and then I would prefer if you would kindly remove yourself from my sight."

Caroline found that she had nothing to say to the woman who had abandoned her; the same woman who had planned to leave her without a word, yet again. Leaving seemed to be the only thing that the woman was good at. "Goodbye, Elizabeth." She spoke firmly, simply nodding her head in the direction of her birth mother.

"I love you, Caroline." The woman reassured her before she turned and walked straight into the daylight. Immediately, the woman began to sizzle in the heat, but the blonde knew that she would be fine once she made it to the shaded cover of the forest. The door slammed shut behind her, leaving the two occupants in a somewhat awkward silence. Neither of the two knew where they stood since the day before, and the blonde found herself staring at her father's body for lack of anything better to do.

"I apologize for my violent tactics." Niklaus spoke hesitantly, eyeing the woman from across the room. "I'm also sorry about your father. I understand that your relationship with him was complicated at best, but losing a family member is hard, no matter the circumstance."

The young girl found herself smiling despite herself as she continued to zone out, "Beware, Nik, one might assume that you have a beating heart."

The man was beside her in a second, lightly brushing her hair from her face and making the woman shiver slightly. "My heart beats only for you, love."

She found herself shrugging the man off and moving away, giving him a significant look. "I have not forgotten what happened less than twenty-four hours ago." The blonde reminded him skeptically, before finally squeaking out: "Do you suppose you could do something with my father's body? I'm afraid that I cannot afford a proper burial, and I doubt that I am as masterful in the art of body disposal as you are…"

Klaus found himself nodding slowly, "It will be done the second that night falls."

Caroline mirrored his nodding as she stared back at the man, "Thank you." The two let the silence overtake them for several moments before the blonde decided that she should get everything out in the open at once. "I… I believe that I will be moving back in here, now that my father has passed away."

The girl wasn't sure what she expected from the vampire, but it was something along the lines of anger or hurt. She didn't expect the understanding look on his face at all, but was surely glad to see it. "I understand your need for space, sweetheart. You're safer on your own if Mikael is on our trail anyways," the handsome man spoke honestly, hesitant to continue: "If I wasn't such a selfish man, I would advise you to go further from us."

Their eyes met, and the blonde was astounded at the amount of trust this man was giving to her. He was putting himself on the line for her completely, trusting that she wouldn't shut him down or betray him once more. It was all or nothing with Klaus, and she found herself both enjoying that fact as well as fearing it. "Luckily for us both, I'm a stubborn woman." She amended, nodding her head slightly.

"Yes," the man before her spoke with a devious smirk, "Lucky us, indeed."

* * *

Because life works like that, the last chapter was a breeze to write and I've been putting off finishing this one for ages. Figures. Please forgive any typo's, as it's 3 in the morning at the moment. I wanted to post this for you guys because I work all day tomorrow…

I hope you don't think Klaus is too psycho-killer-y, but it is Klaus. I'm enjoying writing the progressing relationship of Klaroline, although I'll be honest: it's going to progress fairly quickly throughout this story. Probably more quickly than most of you will like, but I have my reasons. (I also can't please everyone.)

Also, who is psyched about Mikael? It'll be a few chapters, but I'm so excited to write that one, you have no idea.

I absolutely adore every single reviewer. As always, this chapter is for you guys: **bubblesmonster, ****evalilly****, ilovetvd, ****Hellzz-on-Earth****, Keri, ****Likes-The-Emphatic-Boom****, Sara**, and the guest.


	7. VII

"_The heart has reasons that reason cannot know."_

**Blaise Pascal**

"_The simple things are also the most extraordinary things, and only the wise can see them." _

**Paulo Coelho, _The Alchemist_**

* * *

Caroline wasn't proud of herself as she climbed upon the back of Niklaus, clenching her knees tightly to his sides as she went about holding onto him for dear life. It was riding on his back for a few moments or walking for about an hour, and the blonde figured that she could swallow her pride for a moment or two. The man before her seemed utterly pleased with the arrangements, of course. His smirk seemed as if it was stuck upon his face, and the blonde wished that she could smack it off without real consequences.

The woman also thought about kissing it off, but she shook the thought away as quickly as it came. She really had no self-control around the man, and she was beginning to think that she's more pathetic than one would usually admit. Still, as she clung on his back and the two flash-sped through the woods, the blonde teenager couldn't help but to get lost in his scent once more; his temperature was running high, as seemed normal for the man, and he carried her with an effortless sort of grace.

She supposed that if she had super strength, a human would seem like nothing in comparison. When they reached the manor, Rebekah was waiting in the entrance of the house anxiously; her smile brightened considerably as the two walked in the door. "How did it go, brother?" She asked as she looked between the couple, taking in the sad demeanor of Caroline as well as her brother's nervous stance.

"Mikael is onto us." Klaus replied simply, the frustration clear in his voice. He obviously thought that he had the man distracted in another country for quite a while. "Elizabeth estimated that we had a month, which knowing Mikael means we likely have about two weeks."

Caroline watched as the blonde vampire bit her lip nervously as well, bewildered at the idea of these vampires scared of anything—anyone. The three stood in silence for a while, Caroline watching as the two siblings seemed to be communicating nonverbally. Niklaus' sister nodded after what felt like ages, walking in the direction of the kitchens. "I'll ask Morgan to call the Bennett witch." She spoke over her shoulder as she reached the threshold and exited the room.

Niklaus walked in a huff over to the drink table, pouring himself a glass of an amber liquid. As the man took a gulp, the blonde woman found herself watching his muscular back; his plain white button up shirt stretched across it in the most elegantly beautiful way. The vampire was fidgeting, an obvious nervous gesture, and she couldn't help but to think the fact that he had nervous gestures at all endearing.

He was supposed to be the top predator. So much for that idea, she observed.

"Are you alright?" She found herself asking, causing the handsome man to glance over his shoulder briefly. She remained where she started by the entryway, unsure if she should leave the man to wallow in peace or not.

"Quite." The hybrid responded as he polished off his drink and set the glass down upon the table quickly. He turned to face the girl, but kept the distance between the two. "Forgive me for abandoning you, but I have some business to attend to." He spoke as he continued to fidget, as if he couldn't stand the thought of staying in one place for that much longer. He strode past her and up the stairs quickly, but not in super speed; Caroline had a sneaking suspicion that he enjoyed the way that their shoulders brushed together as he walked around the woman. Electricity flew between them like crazy whenever they touched and it wasn't anticipated; even when it was, if the blonde was being honest.

She found herself staring after him, startling as Rebekah reappeared in the room a moment later. "I suppose you could use some assistance packing your things?" The blonde vampire suggested, leading the two up the stairs in the wake of Niklaus. Of the three, Caroline guessed that Rebekah would be the most upset about her departure. True to her assumptions, the older blonde had a stiff upper lip and a stoic expression. "I do wish that you would wait for this Mikael situation to blow over to leave." The woman finally voiced as they entered the guest bedroom.

The younger blonde shrugged in return to the statement. "Niklaus believes that I will be safer on my own; he was encouraging me." When Rebekah never replied to her rebuttal, the blonde was sure that she was speaking the truth. The woman beside her knew what her brother said to be correct as well, thus rendering the woman speechless.

Caroline went about packing the few dresses that she brought with her, but Rebekah basically hit the dress that the teen was grasping from her hands as she snatched it. "You're going to need a bag much bigger than that for all of your new clothes, sister. I will return." Before the young Forbes even considered telling her that the generosity wasn't necessary, the woman had disappearing from the room with a gush of air.

The blonde found herself looking around the guest room for what would surely be a final time. She hadn't added anything personal to the spacious room, but she still felt at home in it. When the girl wasn't walking around the grounds, she spent most of her free time in the room that she was currently standing in. It was a truly beautiful plum color, as the entire accent colors were a pleasant crème. What Caroline found herself enjoying most about the quarters was that all of the furniture looked ancient and medieval, but grand and gorgeous at the same time. As her eyes drifted over to the bed, an unfamiliar rectangular box caught her eye.

The box itself was beautiful; it was only about the size of Caroline's hand, and it was made out of a really dark type of wood. On the front was the carved name, a simple 'Niklaus' in elegant script that surely took a lot of time to shape. On the sides of it were images that reminded the woman of the symbols found in caves before paper was invented; for the first time, the woman let herself truly wonder how old her companions were. The blonde knew for a fact that the item itself was older than her, and she decided that she would be happy with the gift, even if the box was empty.

It wasn't, however. Inside was a piece of paper, rolled up to fit inside of the ancient box. The blonde frowned as she focused on the unfamiliar scene before her, her eyes making sense of the image before her mind. It was a sketch of a dark room that looked suspiciously similar to her home as a child, the space filled to the brim with familiar faces. In the center was a blonde figure that Caroline instantly recognized as her mother, and the worn woman was holding an infant in her arms preciously. Beside her, a teary-eyed and sober looking man; the teen was sad to realize that she almost didn't recognize her father when he was sober. Behind the blonde woman was another blonde woman, one that the girl recognized as Rebekah, who looked exactly the same as she did currently. Her hand reached around from the chair that she stood behind, her hand resting gently on the infant's cheek.

All three of the adults were looking upon the baby with awe in their eyes, as if she held the Earth in her tiny little hands. In the corner stood a man, one who looked out of place in this weird-family picture, awkward for intruding. Her breath caught her throat as she realized that the picture was from the day that she was born. It had to be, as that was the first time that the girl saw her mother look so human. Niklaus had mentioned that Rebekah was there for her birth, but not that he was. For some reason, it meant a lot for both of the vampires to witness her arrival into the world.

On the bottom, written in elegant script were the words: _'For the days when the sorrow seems overwhelming. Niklaus.' _

The teen found herself shaking her head as her heart grew two sizes bigger. She wasn't sure who Klaus compelled to draw this for him, but whoever it was possessed real talent. She was also amazed that the man seemed to know her so completely… he saw that she loved the people in the picture unconditionally, and the returning look of love in their eyes really_ was_ enough to bring Caroline back from any funk that she may fall into.

She continued to shake her head as her eyes glanced over the figure in the picture that belonged to Niklaus. The woman found herself wondering why he included himself in the drawing at all, when he obviously wasn't the one who was moved by her birth. Perhaps he was more touched than he would admit, seeing as the image was still clear in his mind after seventeen (almost eighteen!) years. As much as the blonde hated to admit it, the picture was that much more special because it included him as well.

"The sizes of my luggage are quite inconvenient; they were almost all either too small or too large," Rebekah spoke as she reentered the room with her luggage in hand. "Not to worry sister, I eventually found the perfect one." The woman didn't seem to pay any mind to the box and paper in her companion's hand as she walked straight to the closet. Man, when the woman was on a mission, there was no going back from it.

Caroline gently rolled the paper once again, settling it back in its original place in the box. She didn't really try to hide her movements as she put the box on the bottom of the luggage that was chosen for her, but even as she was obvious about it, the blonde beside her said not a peep. It seemed as if there were no secrets in the Mikaelson family, so she found herself wondering vaguely if Klaus had already told her that he was giving the picture to her. She decided not to voice her comments, instead opting to help the woman fold the extravagant dresses and put them in the suitcase that was laid out.

The two worked in a comfortable silence, until Rebekah eventually broke it. "I've decided that despite recent events, I'm going to plan a ball." Caroline looked up from the dress she had been folding, surprise written clearly on her face.

"A ball?" She repeated back to the blonde, "For when?" The question hung in the air as Rebekah shrugged indifferently.

"About a month from now… The 23rd." She spoke at last, a small smile on her pretty face.

The teenager found herself staring at her vampire friend as if she was crazy, because she probably was. "You mean to tell me that you plan to hold a ball when Mikael is to arrive?" She couldn't grasp the idea of wanting the two to go together, unless he was concerned with keeping appearances and wouldn't hurt them around a crowd. For some reason, she imagined that Mikael wouldn't care if there were others around.

"When Mikael is _estimated_ to arrive, Car. He will probably be here in two weeks time, at most. Our father is nothing if not a great hunter, which is why we plan to have witches on hand when he comes for us." Bekah told her easily, folding a particularly pretty pink dress that Caroline hadn't spotted before now. Score.

The blonde couldn't stop herself from asking her next question, as it had been on her mind all afternoon. "Should I be as nervous as you and Niklaus seem?"

The teenager watched her vampire friend as she considered the question, her answer honest, at least. "If he comes for us and you're lucky enough to be in the safety of your home, then no. But perhaps you will be visiting when he comes for us…" She didn't really need to finish the sentence, they both knew that she wouldn't be safe when Mikael realizes of Klaus' attachment to her.

Caroline simply nodded in return, throwing one of her old cloth dresses in the bag carelessly. She paused when the other woman put her hand on her wrist gently as she spoke, "Nik would never let anything happen to you, though. And neither would I."

The teen smiled at the woman before her, "I suppose that I'm a pretty lucky girl, having three Original vampire bodyguards. Not that I've come out unscathed, of course." Two dead parents and the memory of a stab later she had three bodyguards. She was still grateful for the family despite that fact, and she was growing to love each of them in different ways. Rebekah, for example, was incredibly giving, and it didn't seem as if she even realized it.

"You've also learned of your true strength. Despite all of the wrong that's been done to you in the past, you still seem so set on doing well. I look up to you, Caroline." Caroline didn't know what to say in return, and didn't particularly think that anything had to be said. Instead she only smiled fondly at the vampire.

The realization that vampires could not procreate struck her just as her mind turned to the kindness that Rebekah had been showing her. She thought back to the look on the vampire's face as she looked upon her for the first time, the awe that she had for the baby being brought into the world. "It must be difficult to know that you will never have a child of your own." Caroline spoke bluntly, as she didn't really know what it was like to have tact.

Rebekah stiffened from her folding job before she glanced up at the teenager. The woman had sadness on her face that couldn't be disguised by the smile that she held, no matter how hard she tried. "I s'pose that is why I feel such a connection to you… out of everyone that was in the room for your birth, I like to keep up pretenses that I will be the only one to avoid hurting you." She paused once more, as if she was deep in thought: "Hurt you any further, that is."

The blue eyed girl nodded in return, asking her next question with wariness on her voice. "Was… was Niklaus there when I was born?" She found herself asking, unsure why the answer was so important to her. Perhaps because the answer could make or break their budding romance, depending on how the girl looked at it. To break it, all one would have to consider is the fact that he saw her being _born. _He actually witnessed her being removed from her mother's birth canal; the idea of starting a romance with the bloody infant that you witnessed being brought into the world didn't exactly sound sexy to the blonde. On the other hand, it would explain why he felt so deeply for the girl. You become attached to a person after witnessing something like that, which is why Rebekah felt like she was a mother to the girl.

Her blonde friend seemed confused by the question, obviously having to think back to access the memories. "I was with Nik at a gala when I got the news about Liz going into labor. We both rushed over, but he was outside of the house when you entered our lives. Nik is a lot of things, but dense he is not. It was a moment for family only."

Caroline nodded silently, enjoying how honest the vampires were being with her. Honesty and trust go hand in hand, and the blonde teenager found herself trusting the family more with each passing day. "I have a theory as to why you can avoid compulsion." The vampire spoke up once more, waiting for the teenager to raise an eyebrow impatiently before continuing, "There were difficulties with the birth. It looked rough, as if Liz wouldn't make it," the woman paused, looking as lost in the memories as one could get, "So I fed her my blood in to heal her … I hadn't thought twice about it until you were able to attempt an escape, but it seems logical to me that our blood being in you since birth could affect our ability to compel you. Even after the blood would leave your system, it still became an important part of your genes."

The blonde wasn't sure what to make of the discovery, seeing as it didn't change anything except the fact that it gave the group of them some answers as to why she's different. A sparkle caught the teenager's eye as the woman before her leaned into the sun to grab a new clothing item, and she found herself eyeing the piece of jewelry appreciatively. "What a lovely necklace, sister."

Rebekah smiled somewhat fondly as she glanced down at the necklace at she wore around her neck. "My mother had given it to me before Mikael killed her." She gripped the charm around her enclosed fist tightly. "It's the last of the items that I have from her."

Caroline could understand the sentiment in that. She used to carry around an old barrette that she found in their house when she was a child, as it was obviously Elizabeth's. She wondered vaguely where the barrette was now; most likely still in her childhood home, untouched. Much like the vampire before her, the blonde needed to feel that connection to her mother. Even now, after she's been disappointed by the woman, she still felt the desire to have an item of hers to hold. "Well, it is very pretty." She complimented once more, finally finishing the packing process. The two stood slowly, both having to shake their legs in hopes of waking them up. "I have such lazy appendages, they're constantly falling asleep on me." She complained as they started their journey back downstairs.

The blonde held the luggage in her hand, carrying it down the extravagant staircase and setting it on the bottom of the stairs. How long had the two of them been packing? Surely it was less than a half an hour, but despite that, the downstairs looked to be in an absolute frenzy. The teenager glanced into the living room, seeing a dark colored woman with various thick books surrounding her, as well as a group of ominous looking men. "That's the Bennett witch and her grimoires. Now come, you must be hungry?"

"Who was that surrounding the witch?" Caroline found herself asking as she allowed herself to be directed toward the kitchen, where Morgan sat moodily chopping vegetables for dinner that night. She sat comfortably at the counter opposite of the redhead as Rebekah rummaged through the kitchen for something to make for breakfast. Morgan asked if she could help, but Rebekah seemed to ignore her or failed to hear the woman.

Either way, when she spoke next it was addressed to the teenager only. "Our security to ensure she's doing what she's told. If the woman so wished, it would be very simple for her to decapitate them, but then her family would be killed. A trade off, I suppose." The redhead servant stood quickly and scurried from the room as if she'd been called elsewhere, causing both girls to glance at her back during the departure. "A strange one, that girl." Rebekah commented in passing as she began to cut up the watermelon that sat upon the counter.

"Perhaps." She agreed lightly, watching in awe at the woman before her quickly chop up the fruit. The whole circle was cut into triangles nearly one minute later, and watching her move with such speed was surely a sight to see. Perhaps Morgan didn't want to get reprimanded for staring while they do things abnormally quickly? "Where is Elijah?" The blonde teenager found herself asking as she glanced around the spacious kitchen, "I feel as if he's always missing whenever I see you and Niklaus lounging about the house."

Bekah seemed to consider the question as she reached for a plate and loaded it with the fruit. "Elijah has always had his own agenda. While the man is family oriented above all, he enjoys his space. Who knows where he could be at this moment, as I surely don't. We'll just have to inform him about Mikael whenever he returns." The vampire pushed the ceramic plate towards her friend with a smile, "Now, eat. I was going to assist Amelia on her search for the required spell. You're more than welcome to join us, if you'd like, but I daresay that it's very tedious work."

Caroline nodded lightly, taking hold of the plate before her and standing. She made her way around the island in the kitchen, so that she could press a kiss on the cheek of the woman before her. "Thank you, sister. I'm going to miss our card games in the middle of the night."

The blonde vampire grinned in return, "We can still play them! I'll arrive to bother you every night, don't you worry."

The two walked towards the entry way, Rebekah going into the doorway on the left while the blonde teenager made her way up the stairway. She knew where she wanted to go in theory but hadn't actually made the journey on her own. She began a rather trial and error method for finding the room that Niklaus resides in. She found the twenty other guest rooms that she hadn't seen (joy) before she eventually found her goal.

The door opened easily, and Caroline found herself grinning in a self-satisfied way. The familiar red colors of the walls greeted her immediately; her blue eyes landed upon the table in the corner right away. Klaus sat scribbling away, much like before, but he held the same jitter in his fingers that he had earlier. "Hello." He greeted without glancing up, focusing his scribbles on a specific thing. As the blonde neared, she felt honored to realize that it was her hair that he was attempting to perfect. "You're a difficult woman to capture, your golden locks in particular; they are very… wispy and natural." He said the last sentence as a mix of frustration and awe, crumbling the paper once more and tossing it aside.

She sat in the seat opposite to the man, choosing to gingerly eat her watermelon as she watched him. Her blue eyes were wide and shining, enjoying the image of the vampire outside of his comfort zone. It usually appeared as if he had control of every situation, even if he was attempting to make her believe otherwise. It was nice to see the man appear so… human. "You're unable to capture my hair because it's unruly, not wispy." The woman informed him as a matter of fact, gently sliding the other papers on the table near her side.

On the pages were mostly landscapes, drawn or painted with various different types of pencils and paints. The teenager was amazed as she flipped through the loose pages, as it didn't even appear as if the man before her had a style that he preferred. Each picture held a different approach to art, although they were all equally beautiful. She shook her head in awe, unsure what she could say to him. "These are magnificent, Nik." She breathed out easily, glancing up to meet the artists' eyes.

The deep blue color of his eyes probably contrasted well with the blueness of hers, and not unlike a lot of women did, she found herself combining their faces. If it were possible for the two people to create children, she had no doubt that they would be the envy of the town. They would likely be the most beautiful children that walked the Earth, if they had any Mikaelson in them. At least on the outside. She shook the thoughts away as he spoke once more, "Just a hobby." He dismissed his talent easily, watching as she stared particularly long at a landscape of Venice. "Have you ever been?" He finally found himself asking, amazed at her beauty even as she sat still and looked at his artwork. Her blonde hair fell in front of her eyes, blocking his view, but he was too amazed at the fluidity of the movement to move it. The woman was a goddess.

Caroline took a particularly big bite of watermelon, giving her companion a sharp glare. "Don't ask questions if you already know the answer, _vampire."_ The blonde found herself enjoying the fact that she felt at ease with this man, even if she shouldn't. He had a knack for acting as if she held the world in her hands, and it was quite flattering. While she promised herself that she would have to keep a hold on her attraction toward the man, she was really enjoying their forming friendship.

The handsome hybrid raised an eyebrow back to the woman, "Well, I'll just have to bring you myself, _human."_ She watched as the man reached across the table and took hold of a piece of watermelon. As he took a bite, the blonde found herself checking off a question on her list of 'Things to Ask the Mikaelsons' – she no longer must ask if they 'could actually digest real food?'

"I would prefer to discover the world on my own. I'm unsure if you've noticed, but I'm a very independent young woman." The teenager told him with an amused smile as she watched him place the green crust of the watermelon back on her plate. He had stopped scribbling on the papers before him so he could focus on her, and although the woman wasn't about to admit it, she enjoyed it that way.

Caroline did see herself as an independent woman, which is why if she had any sense, she would be running in the opposite direction of the man before her. As much as the woman hated it, the fact of the matter is that she had never met anyone who _wanted _her as much as Niklaus seemed to. Even on her deathbed, the woman was positive that the vampire didn't mean to harm her. In fact, despite all of his bad decisions, it was always apparent that she was enough for him. Just plain old Caroline, the same one who everyone else abandoned. Even her first boyfriend Tyler had left her when she didn't want to lay with him; perhaps it was her morbid curiosity over when the Mikaelson family would abandon her that kept her. She wasn't sure.

"Ah yes. I have taken notice of those attributes. We must all compromise somewhere I suppose; if you're willing to deal with a control freak," '_literally'_ both people wanted to interject, "then I shall deal with an independent woman. Worse things have happened."

The blonde didn't comment back to the man, choosing to roll her eyes in return. She was sidetracked, once more, by the nervous tick of a twitching Niklaus hand. She shook her head, no longer able to watch the man worry himself to death. "Are you sure that you're alright, Niklaus? I know that I haven't known you for long, but I've still never seen you like this."

Niklaus didn't look convincing as he smiled back at her, attempting to appear nonchalant. The woman found herself wondering how he could live a hundred years without getting a little better at lying; perhaps he was better at it, and simply wanted to indulge. Either way, she sent him an unimpressed look. "I'm perfect, sincerely."

"We were already aware of that, but I was speaking about your nervousness." The woman blabbed, stopping once she realized what she had just said. The man most certainly _wasn't _perfect, so she had no idea why she would swell his ego in such a manner. For the hundredth time in the past twenty four hours, the teenager cursed her big mouth.

The grin that she got in return was one of amusement and cockiness, to her dismay. It was still a pretty attractive smile though, she had to admit. "My nervousness is at bay." As if to compliment this lie, the man took a swig of the alcohol in his glass. For the first time, she noticed a private drink table in the corner. The blonde tried to picture a vampire alcoholic, but simply couldn't do it. How would they take out their anger, eating people?

She shivered lightly at the thought. Klaus followed her line of sight to his cup and frowned greatly, as if he was reading her mind. As the man stood from the table and traveled to the drink table, the woman was astounded to see him set the glass down and return back to her. "That was thoughtful but unnecessary." She spoke softly, touched that he seemed so in sync with the woman. "You're free to have as many drinks as you please, especially after the news we received today. You seem quite rattled, and don't you dare attempt to deny the fact once more." She warned just as lightly, a smile obviously on her face as she pointed a finger in the direction of the man.

Niklaus simply sighed in return, letting his head droop rather pathetically as he accepted the fact that she was correct. He ran a hand through his hair before lifting his head once more, to meet _his _Caroline's eyes. "This is the first time that we plan to stand up to Mikael." He admitted begrudgingly, his eyes trailing back to the glass that he had abandoned as if he regretted the gesture. "Bekah, Eli and I had already made the decision that we wanted to stay with you for as long as possible… it's quite a nerve racking experience. My father is unpredictable at most, and there's too much room for error for me to feel at ease. If I lose you…"

The man didn't have to finish his thought as they both sat in silence, accepting what he just admitted out loud. Her life was as valuable to the vampire as she expected; somehow, hearing it out loud made the fact that much more special. She reached her pale hand across the dark wood table, resting it on top of the man before hers. "You will not lose me, Niklaus. I promised you that once already. Besides, I have your blood in me, do I not?" He looked at her as if he didn't understand her point. "Well, it will heal me, should Mikael attack."

"I'm afraid it doesn't work like that, love." The hybrid spoke sadly, his eyes bearing into the blondes deeply. "If you were to die with my blood in your system, you would become one of us. I'm also reluctant to admit that my blood will surely be out of your system when my father comes for us."

Caroline thought back to what Elijah had said earlier that morning, that being in association with vampires often leads to becoming one yourself. She had been reluctant to admit the fact that she knew he was speaking the truth, but as she sat with Niklaus, it seemed imperative that she be honest with herself; for the sake of both the human, as well as the vampire. She could very well die in the next month, and it would ruin her future, as well as the future of the Mikaelsons'—at the very least, Niklaus. Becoming a vampire or dying? She used to be uncertain over which fate was worse, but the woman was convinced now. "Perhaps… perhaps I could begin having your blood once or twice a week, until this situation blows over."

The hybrid looked just as surprised over her proposal as she was for voicing it. It was more of a safety precaution, she reasoned, than anything else. After Mikael is dealt with, she can stop ingesting the vile liquid and return to her (somewhat) human life. "If you wish that fate, who am I to object?"

She gave him a sharp look, "I simply wish to have a fate of some kind; after all, I can't exactly explore Italy if I'm buried in a ditch, now could I?"

"I suppose not." Niklaus agreed simply, nodding as he sat up in his seat. The man still seemed surprised by her earlier declaration; she supposed he was accustomed to people running from him and his blood, not sucking his blood like he does to others.

"How do we plan to capture Mikael?" The blonde found herself asking as she sat up, so the woman could fold her legs beneath herself. She kept her voice light, as if catching him were some sort of childish game, as opposed to a serious game of 'Life or Vampire?'

Klaus grinned fondly at the woman before him; in awe at her personality as a whole. The woman was stronger than any person he'd met to date, and that was saying a lot; Niklaus had known many strong women throughout his years on Earth. Of course, the strongest was his sister, but Caroline's stubbornness and strength was a match even for her. "We've collected our very own Salem witch to aid us in the process. If all goes well, Mikael will be chained and bound by the spell that she locates in the grimoires, easy as could be."

Caroline was amazed at this man's ability to brush his fear off with the wave of his hand. If only she could master her emotions in such a way. "And how will you know of his arrival?" She found herself asking, as this seemed to be the most prominent of questions. Mikael was unpredictable at best, so how could they be aware of when to set up the required elements for the spell?

"That is where dear Elijah enters." Klaus spoke emotionlessly, "He went on the journey of tracking down Mikael. He'll continue to track him until the man becomes an immediate danger. At which point, our brother will warn us and we can prepare for the nights events."

The blonde found herself blinking slowly, amazed at this family at every turn. "How could you ask such a thing from your own kin? He could be killed in my place! Do you honest believe that I wish that fate upon a trusted confidant?" She ranted, too amazed at her anger to pause, even as Niklaus reached from across the table to place a gentle hand on her shoulder.

To catch her attention, he squeezed gently and spoke, "My brother volunteered willingly. "

She sat dumfounded, unsure what to say in return. "Oh." Was her genius reply, as she reached for her final piece of watermelon and took a bite. Why would this family be so nice to her? Honestly, the woman thought it was too good to be true.

With only the slightest hint of jealousy, Niklaus replied easily, "It seems that the Forbes family has quite an effect on mine. I can't say that it's surprising, seeing as you're the most worthy human any of us could die for."

To that, Caroline only smiled shyly. "You flatter me, but I cannot believe a word of your nonsense." Despite her denial, the blonde couldn't deny to herself the fact that her heart warmed with his kind words. He knew he was charming and as much as she wanted to resist his temptations, she found it quite difficult.

It was going to be a long eternity, should Caroline die anytime soon.

* * *

Guhhh! I can't write a chapter of this without getting so excited about the upcoming story. It should motivate me to write faster, but I feel as if it's doing the opposite. My apologies, dears. I will tell you guys that if this story goes as planned, I am kind of hell-bent on making it a trilogy. I think stories in threes hit home; it's the correct amount of time for the characters to progress and become perfect for each other. I hope the interest in these characters doesn't fade, as I would love to see them progress.

That being said, human Caroline really can't deny vampire Klaus. That's why this romance moves so quickly, as she won't be a vampire until a while into it. It's a very human thing, in my opinion, to succumb to the advances of someone we know we shouldn't trust. I think every teenage girl holds hope in their heart that they can change someone for the better.

I know this is only a filler chapter, but reviews truly do make me update more quickly! As always, I simply adore everyone who favorite and reviewed. This goes to my homies**: ****bubblesmonster****, ilovetvd, Sara, DreamsBeatReality**, and **elijahlover.** You are all lovely and made out of rainbows, butterflies, and hugs. Xoxox


	8. VIII

"_She's just a girl. She loves blindly and recklessly even if it consumes her. And when it's all said and done, there's nothing more important than the bond of family."_ **Elena Gilbert on Rebekah Mikaelson, 3x08**

"_Humanity is a vampire's greatest weakness. No matter how easy it is to turn off, it just keeps trying to fight its way back in." _**Katerina Petrova, 3x09**

* * *

The weeks following Mikael's arrival passed in a whirlwind. Caroline had never lived by herself and the young woman was surprised at how much she adored her newfound independence. The blonde found herself up until dawn each morning, reading by the fire until sleep won the constant battle that she was fighting. Sleep, however, was harder to come by with each passing night. Mikael could be anywhere as he hunted for her two comrades—as well as her, if he should learn of the woman's existence.

When she thought of Elijah following the man, a shiver ran through her spine. Elijah was a friend of hers, perhaps her favorite Mikaelson. He had morals and honor, which is why he went out of his way to protect them all. She worried for him on a nightly basis, whispering prayers through her half-asleep daze. Sometimes she would dream that he arrived on her doorstep, mournfully delivering the news of the death of his family. Other times, Niklaus would be the one to deliver the bad news about Elijah. Either way, the dreams resulted in the woman awaking in the night, worried and shivering from the cold.

October had snuck up on Caroline and the two Mikaelson's that kept her company. They all tried to distract themselves, attempting to get past what was inevitably going to happen. It was mid-October and terribly cold on the day that Caroline begun to make her soap once more, for lack of anything better to do to pass the time. At times, it felt as if she existed only to pass the time; as if she was simply waiting to be killed.

The teenager knew that she wasn't the only one who was becoming more distracted by the day, as Niklaus held his tongue more and more each time she saw the man. Similarly, the wrinkle that was slowly appearing between Beckahs eyebrows increased with the passing days. As a precautionary action, the human had stopped visiting the family at the manor altogether. They all agreed that she was much safer on her own, and that staying away from them was the only course of action.

But misery adores company. Niklaus and Rebekah both visited the young woman often, unable to keep themselves from checking up on her. The woman was grateful for the company, as she couldn't keep her thoughts within her head for long without fear of going crazy. The worries she felt for the Mikaelson family overwhelmed her; rationally, she knew that feeling so strongly for them didn't make sense. That didn't stop the fact that sometime within her past month with the family, they'd adopted her into their odd little family of vampires.

Caroline was running low on family lately, and perhaps it was that fact that led her to rely so heavily on the supernatural beings. She was above all else a family oriented person, and denying the bond that had formed would be useless. The fact of the matter was that she cared for them, and couldn't stand the idea of any of them getting hurt.

The girl was in the process of tracing the soap that she made when there was a knock upon the door. She didn't have to be a genius to know who was trying to reach her, as the woman never had any visitors beyond two nine-hundred year old vampires. "Come in," She hummed from her cot as she carefully stirred the steaming pot of lye, water and oils. She was making a special vervain soap to sell; if Tyler had given her vervain tea, the woman assumed that her previous lover knew about vampires. The idea of him just happening to give the tea bags seemed unlikely to the woman.

She would surely make a profit from selling soap with the herb in it. Although the vervain would wash off after you rinse, having a bar of disguised vervain would be handy for anyone who wishes to ward off a vampire. The young woman had already made a few bars of it two weeks earlier; they'd already hardened, and looked beautiful with a blue-purple hue. The scent was woodsy at best, but it reminded Caroline of Klaus in that way.

All in all, the woman was more proud of this soap more than the majority of her others. She began pressing the starfish barrette that was previously Elizabeth's into the side of each bar, her own little signature and design for the blue soap. The teenager would wash herself with it if she wasn't in such a close association with vampires; because she was, she supposed that she could settle with making it, alone.

The door opened quite easily, and the two familiar vampires sauntered in without hesitation. Rebekah wrinkled her nose upon arrival, "It smells odd in here, sister." Truth be told, Caroline had been trying to keep the vervain soap a secret from her second family. She liked to think that she knew them, and if the vampires found out that the woman, or anyone, had a source of vervain, they would kill the man that was supplying it to her. Bad for business, as well as Alaric's life.

Alaric was dear to Caroline; he's looked out for her for as long as she could remember. The man had been urging her to leave home for the majority of her teen years, even offering to let her stay with him and his wife, Isobel. Of course, the woman would never take him up on the offer but it was nice to know that he had cared. She hadn't seen the man in years, but he was the only one in town that had a source to the plant, oddly enough.

Somehow she had gotten lucky; the vampires had never arrived when she was making soap before. She hadn't even thought about the fact that when it's boiling the smell of vervain must fill the room. It isn't a very fragrant scent when dried in the bars, but when liquid, the scent carried through her small house. Their vampire senses must be tingling.

The two looked at each other, alarmed. "What are you doing, Caroline?" Niklaus asked carefully, speeding over to stand next to her and peer into the pot that she was stirring. He knew what it was right away, and willed himself to stay calm. He glanced at his sister as a warning to do the same, and saw her having a similar battle with herself. They had gained a lot of ground for the trust of Caroline recently, and they were trying to keep from breaking it.

Caroline seemed to have the same alarmed look on her face, as if just realizing her mistake. Niklaus noticed the blue-purple bars in the corner for the first time. She had been hiding the soap on purpose, which wasn't really surprising, he had to admit. He raised an eyebrow at the girl, and in return the blonde winced. "Uh… its vervain…soap. I thought they would turn out beautifully, and I was right!" She smiled slightly, "And on the odd chance that someone knows about vampires, I'll make a fortune. I'm not going to go out screaming vampire, but who am I to stop anyone from coming to me?"

The siblings exchanged glances once more, but Klaus only ended up shrugging nonchalantly. "Who am I to stop you from going on little anti-vampire escapades while you can still have them? We all know that it's only a matter of time before you become one of us."

Rebekah, taking her cue from her brother, relaxed slightly at the new dining room table that she had bought her comrade. Their family didn't know what to do with all the money they'd accumulated over the years. They'd taken to stealing, sometimes, but Niklaus often sold his artwork for great fortunes. Rebekah, Caroline had learned recently, often deceived men into letting her into their home. She'd kill them and then steal their things; these were princes and lords, Klaus had told her.

Their stories still sounded like fairytales to Caroline, but she enjoyed listening to them. They were magical, as if she was transported back in time with them. The things they've done were cruel and terrible, but the girl found comfort in their honesty. They wouldn't tell everything to someone who they planned on abandoning; she'd know too much. They acted as if they truly cared for her, and in return she cared for them as well. "Speaking of, do you have anything for me?"

Klaus didn't respond, but simply smirked as he reached into his pant pocket and retrieved a small vile of his blood. The blonde girl had been drinking the substance for the past two weeks; he tossed it to the woman easily, watching as she caught it and drank it within seconds. Her face was contorted as if she thought that the act was disgusting. Niklaus grinned, as he thought of earlier in the week when he'd eavesdropped on the conversation Caroline and Rebekah were having. The blonde human admitted that ingesting vampire blood on an average basis was making her horny all of the time.

To be honest, the man hadn't thought of anything else since he heard the confession.

But he needed to change his thought process. The hybrid sat at the dining room table across from his sister, smiling as Caroline got up from her seat on her cot to join the two. She set the small pot on the table, sitting at the square table between the two siblings. Rebekah glanced around the room briefly, frowning as if she just realized something. "I seemed to have forgotten the playing cards, brother. Will you run home and retrieve them? It's rude to allow a woman to run all the way home in the cold."

"You cannot feel the weather, Bekah." Klaus replied in a bored tone, shooting his sister a glance. "Your legs work just fine; fetch them yourself."

The blonde vampire glared at her brother severely before deciding to change tactics; sighing and pouting instead, "Please, Nik? I must talk to Caroline about something, it's a womanly issue. You wouldn't want to have a part in the conversation." Niklaus looked between his sister and the object of his affections suspiciously. The two together were mischievous at best; just last week they had hidden all of Niklaus' clothes and thrown Jello at him. After he showered, the man was forced to wear a robe until Rebekah cracked and returned his clothing.

The girls didn't know it, but they had initiated a full out prank war. He would simply wait until Mikael was dealt with to strike back. The hybrid ended up caving, adoring the women before him too much to not give them their privacy. "I'll be back." He announced as he stood from his seat, to Rebekah's delight. When Caroline blinked, the man was gone.

The blonde continued to stir her soap, knowing she would possibly be at the task for hours. It had to thicken before she could lay it in a pan to dry. "What is it that you wanted to discuss?" She found herself asking as she tilted her head to the side curiously.

Rebekah sighed deeply, sitting up in the chair that the woman occupied. The human watched her companion reach behind her own leg and unstrap a dagger and sheath. It was a small, handheld dagger with a hard covering that slid over the blade. The vampire set the item upon the wooden table, staring at the other woman deeply. "I've stolen this from Niklaus. I'm unsure when he'll notice that it's gone missing, but I had to take another precaution. Inside the sheath is the ash of an ancient tree that can immobilize my family, Mikael included. Only a human can dagger him, and most have proven to be too slow."

Caroline blinked, surprised. "And what do you want me to do with it? I'm not faster than the average human; I have no advantage."

The vampire shrugged in return, her face somber. "It's simply a precaution, Caroline. I want you to be able to cherish a human life for as long as possible, and you should be armed in order to do that. Only act if Mikael is completely distracted; he's faster and stronger than you, the element of surprise is your only advantage."

The human stared at her vampire friend suspiciously, hesitantly pausing from stirring the soap that she was creating so the woman can reach for the dagger instead. "Why did you need to send Niklaus away to give this to me? Surely he agrees about the back up?"

"His love blinds him." Rebekah spoke boldly enough, "Although he would be the last to admit it. He said that you making a move on Mikael wouldn't be worth the risk. The man wouldn't hesitate to kill you, if he had to. It's the truth, sister, which is why you need to act with the utmost discretion."

The blonde nodded in return, reaching to uncover the blade when a cold, petite hand reached out to stop her. "You mustn't unsheathe the blade until it's time to dagger Mikael, Caroline. The ash will scatter and the blade will be rendered useless." Once again, the blonde nodded with wide eyes. She still wasn't sure if she was capable of daggering someone or not, even if it only renders them immobile. "Also, you must keep the dagger in his body, or he will heal. Do you understand?"

"Yes." Caroline spoke at last, gripping the dagger fiercely as she stood and moved to hide it within the confines of her dresser, before Niklaus returns to see it. "I get more nervous by the hour. Has the witch found the spell yet?" She asked as she returned to the table and sat in her previous place.

"She has." Rebekah replied simply as she carefully gripped the pot of soap and stirred it with great speed. The vampire probably did an hours work of stirring in a matter of seconds. Caroline scowled at her abilities slightly but listened intently to the woman talk. "The spell will stop his heart from beating, if we're able to perform it. I'm quite anxious to get this all over with." She admitted, sighing. "It can't be long now; my father is no idiot. He will see the name Mikaelson and want to investigate."

The two sat in silence, both lost in their own thoughts over the events to come until Niklaus was beside the table once again, aggravation clear on his face. "Where did you leave the cards, sister?"

The blonde vampire looked exasperatedly at her brother, before rolling her eyes and sharing a glance with Caroline. "Men are endlessly bad at locating things, have you noticed? You can ask where the milk is in the ice box, and they won't see it; despite that being the only item in the damned thing." The woman stood, nodding at the two. "Don't have too much fun without me, you two." She warned with a slight smirk upon her pale face as she zoomed from the room.

Niklaus resumed his seat at the table, leaning casually on his elbows in the woman's direction. "Well, I didn't make any promises, love. Did you?" To compliment his words, the man actually winked at the woman.

Caroline gave her companion a warning glance as she resumed her mixing. "I have a bowl of vervain that I'm not afraid to use, Niklaus; you're still on restriction."

The vampire leaned back in his wooden chair leisurely, crossing his arms in a relaxed manner. "I don't believe that you can inflict pain on me, sweetheart. My apologies."

Frowning in return, the human focused on the bowl before her. The color was very lovely; she had added berries to perfect the color of vervain. Perhaps it would also stain people blue, how hilarious would that be? Shaking her thoughts, the woman glanced at her companion once more. "Keep provoking me and we'll find out."

Amusement was a permanent feature on his face as the man replied, "Go ahead. Burn me."

The human's frown deepened. She knew that if she was a rational person, she wouldn't do it. Inflicting harm upon another living thing was frowned upon in any country; on the other hand, however, the blonde couldn't shake the fact that she might have to stab Mikael. The young woman wasn't even sure she could do it. Should she test herself on her vampire companion?

No. She wasn't that dense. The woman had seen his violent reactions before, and he was doing his best to earn her trust. She would not provoke him, although it _did_ sound like a bit of fun. If she is ever turned into a vampire, the woman would give the man hell. Rebekah was back already, resuming her seat at the table without a word.

Cards looked as if they were flying through the air as Niklaus shuffled them in a showy manner, causing his sister to roll her eyes as if the act happened often. Perhaps it did, who was Caroline to know? She couldn't help but to laugh at the relationship between the vampires. They were siblings through and through, always bickering with an undertone of admiration and love. She always wished that she had a sibling; having the Mikaelson's in her life felt like a blessing, in that sense.

"Anyone up for a game of Rum Poker?" Niklaus asked as he dealt each person seven cards, not bothering to wait for a reply from either of the women in his company. The group had taken to playing Gin Rummy as a way to pass the time, unsure of anything else to do while they wait for the events to transpire. The group wordlessly picked up their cards and examined their respective hands.

To each of the vampires despair, Caroline had a knack for winning this game; Niklaus was set on taking over the champion title, while Rebekah cared too little to bother most of the time. After three games in, Klaus was slowly getting red in the face, and both women were relishing in that fact. "Frustrated, Nik?" Bekah teased lightly.

"Shut your mouth and shuffle, woman." The hybrid grumbled back, his arms crossed with a rather pouty look upon his handsome face.

"The manly hybrid is going to cry, watch out Bekah." Caroline grinned in a mocking manner, enjoying as the man she was fond of scowled at her. The blonde often relished in his strong feelings for the woman; the teenager had witnessed the man lose his temper at much less. One morning, Morgan forgot to change his sheets after he had a late night tryst with some muggle from a tavern and the man nearly ripped the woman's heart from her chest for her forgetfulness. Despite his horrid temper, after the hybrid stabbed Caroline in the woods, he seemed set on never hurting her again.

She also hadn't seen him with another person, muggle or vampire, since that night- the second night after her arrival.

"Careful with your teasing, sister; Nik has a temper that is almost as bad as mine." She warned fairly as her eyes stayed trained on the cards in front of her, eventually laying down the suit that she needed the least upon the table.

"The pair of you is truly charming," Niklaus muttered dryly as he deliberated his next move. "Are you sure that you aren't about to run off to be together? We know your track record with women, _sister_."

Rebekah pursued her lips, watching as her brother discarded a suit that she needed to complete a run. The woman tried to hide her smirk as best as possible, knowing that Caroline would pick the paper up should she notice the look. "Angry because I'm better at charming the Forbes women than you?" She asked, frowning deeply when the blonde human did just as she was afraid that she would do, picking up the card that she needed.

Niklaus noticed the grumpy look on Rebekah, only making him grin in return. At least the card game was going poorly for her as well. "Annoyed at our Forbes woman for being a card shark is more like it." Klaus muttered, smiling slightly when the blonde human stuck her tongue out at the man. "I need a drink." He declared, standing from the table and making his way to the dresser in the corner of the room. On top of it stood the bottle of alcohol that Caroline had brought along as a peace offering for her father, and Klaus poured some of the brown liquid into a glass easily.

The blonde vampire set her cards face down on the table as well, eyeing the standing hybrid hesitantly. They exchanged quick looks before Rebekah spoke up for the both of them, "I'm afraid that we didn't visit just for recreation, Car."

Sensing the mood shift immediately, the human set down her cards as well and furrowed her brow. She was sure as she glanced between her two companions that something was going on; the pair of vampires was acting more uneasy on that night in particular, as if they'd been arguing about something. "We were having a difference of opinion, and decided that no one would be suited better to settle it than you. Why not put the fate of the human in the humans' hands, after all." Niklaus muttered, leaning against the wall of her house.

Caroline waited patiently for the two to explain themselves, knowing that it was coming one way or another. After a few seconds passed, Rebekah spoke up. "I believe that we'll need more manpower to hold down Mikael. I suggested for us to bring Kol back to life, or at the very least our other brother."

"You have another brother?" The blonde found herself asking in surprise, as she'd never heard any of the vampires speak of any sibling apart from Kol.

It was Niklaus to speak up next, "Finn is a traitor and an abomination to our kind. Bringing back that brother is only asking for trouble," the man sighed, "and due to our impulsive precautionary actions, bringing Kol back would only have the opposite effect than anything to our advantage."

"Why?" The human asked, trying to keep up. Keeping up with the Mikaelson family was more of a mental work out than Caroline would usually admit; living for thousands of years has given the vampires years upon years to collect all sort of baggage. Figuratively and literally, the blonde mused as she thought about Rebekah's luggage collection.

Klaus led the conversation, answering the woman almost immediately. "Our basic instinct as a vampire is to drink the blood of humans; cause any pain or pleasure that we so wish as we manipulate people for the sake of fun. Kol can be as impulsive as any of us when he wants to be. Bekah and I made it clear that we wanted him to stay away from feeding on you, but unfortunately my little brothers big mouth wound up getting him staked... again." The human had already assumed that they immobilized their brother for her sake, but hearing her suspicions confirmed was odd.

She also realized that along with manipulation, revenge was often on the agenda of a vampire. "You're afraid that he'll come after me." She voiced as she realized the dilemma.

"I can control Kol, but if it is him and Mikael at once… well. I suppose I have already promised to leave your fate within your own hands."

There was really no question in Caroline's mind that the idea of bringing back Kol was a bad one. "As much as I hate to agree with Niklaus _ever, _I daresay that I do in this situation, Bekah. I cannot take on a vampire as a human, and even if you guys could protect me, Mikael is a threat that we have to be ready for at all times. Kol would only add to the list of worries that we already have."

Niklaus looked triumphant as he glanced at his sister, the gloating nature of his personality shining clear through his facial expression. "Told you so, sister." Rebekah rolled her eyes as a reply, standing quickly.

"Don't look to me when the half-thought out plan you've conducted fails, brother. Father used to say that your pride and impulse would be the death of you; perhaps he was wrong, and it'll be the death of your beloved instead?" She shook her head, determination on her face. "I'll have no part in you stealing the mortality from my sister by allowing her to get killed. Battle our father _yourself _if you're so positive that you can bring him down_,_ Niklaus; simply leave me out of it."

The blonde vampire was out of the house before either could process what had just happened. Rebekah was honestly worried about how things were going to play out; perhaps they all were, and she was being more honest with her worry. Niklaus and Caroline both kept trying to appear strong for each other, but what was the point if you could see through it anyways? "Fickle Rebekah," Niklaus spoke up at last, shaking his head. "I'll hunt her down and talk some sense into the woman."

Caroline wanted to object and insist that she be the one to speak to the vampire, seeing as they had the connection of sisters. Before she could, however, Niklaus too was missing from her house. As the human looked around her small personalized hut, she couldn't help but to feel terribly alone. The teenager hadn't left the safety of her home for weeks; she supposed breaking the rule once wouldn't be much harm.

Quickly, the blonde teenager gathered a few essentials. She tied the dagger to her leg in a similar manner that Rebekah had it tied when she gave the weapon to the human. In addition to securing the dagger, she cut off small pieces of her previously finished vervain soap and put them into a leather pouch to carry with her. Finally, the woman threw on her shoes and ran out of the comfort of her home, after her vampire family.

The sun had long set, and now the moon was high in the sky. As Caroline glanced around the yard in every direction, she caught the sight of silvery blonde hair to her left and made a break for it, running after the sight before she could even process it. Whoever was on the outskirts of the forest made a break for it after being spotted as well, causing the human to run around the land near her house for at least twenty minutes before nearly giving up.

She had an odd feeling in her stomach, on a whim deciding to go to the same lake where she was stabbed by her hybrid fling. Her feet carried her with focus and determination, even though she had no idea why she was doing this. She had left the house with the focus of finding Rebekah, but in the end she was heading the opposite direction of the Mikaelson manor. Call it intuition, but she was positive that the lake was where she needed to be.

The clearing was eerily still when she reached it; if it had been anyone else, she would have assumed that it was empty and went on with it. She could feel otherwise though, her eyes trained upon the branches of the trees, looking for someone concealing themselves. The blonde was amazed at her own tracking abilities when she spotted someone in a tree, not far above her head. "Show yourself!" She demanded, expecting Rebekah to be playing some odd game of hide and seek; Caroline knew more than most that the woman had a twisted sense of humor… she probably thought this stunt was a joke or distraction.

You could imagine the shock that the human faced when Elizabeth jumped down from the treetop, landing elegantly before her daughter. The vampire pressed a palm to her flesh's mouth, frowning severely at the young girl. "How foolish can you get, chasing after vampires in the night?" She hissed, "Luckily it worked to your advantage this once."

Caroline wiggled from the grasp of her birth mother with a glare on her pretty features; she was about to open her mouth to remark when the woman beat her to it. "We don't have time for your bitterness, daughter. Mikael has been here for days, watching you and his children interact. He's coming for you; I saw him compel you into allowing him into your home and forgetting about it with my own eyes. You aren't safe there, _or here._"

"Days? What about Elijah?" She interjected with a frantic whisper, her eyes more wide than she originally thought was possible. "And if Klaus compelled you to forget about their existence, how are you here?"

Elizabeth had wide eyes once more, glancing around as if she heard something in the distance. "I'm afraid that I have no time, Caroline. Klaus will be here any minute and his father is only a few minutes behind him; if the vampire tries to convince you to return home for your own wellbeing, force him to consider another option. You are not safe there." She reiterated her last sentence for dramatic effect, it would seem.

When the blonde blinked again, her mother vanished from her sight once more. Caroline realized as she stood in the dark clearing of the forest that she had never been as in over her head as she was in that moment; the human had nowhere to run, and no one to aid her in the process.

She wasn't alone in her ability to work past compulsion, either, rendering Rebekah's theory as to why she was different a big 'incorrect.' Her head felt as if it was spinning with no end in sight, and the thought of throwing up passed through it quickly. Niklaus would sense her distress because she consumed his blood, but the man also knew the woman. Going to the clearing was a typical move for the girl, whether she admitted it or not.

The nervous Forbes human could hear what her mother had minutes before now; two pairs of feet both running in her direction.

As much as she willed her legs to move, they were immobile and useless; and as noisy as the forest seemed on that particular night, the only sound that Caroline could hear was the beating of her own, frantic heart as the two deadly vampires sped in her direction.

* * *

This tale sort of has a mind of its own; I just let it do its own thing. I hope Mikael isn't too rushed for you guys, but I'm desperately trying not to rush this story in general. I kinda want to jump to the fun parts.

Another filler, but next chapter is the one that we've been anticipating. It'll probably be up sooner than usual, as I've been excited about the next chapter since… oh, I saw season three of TVD for the first time. Any predictions?

Dear reviewers**, ****ohfortheloveofklaus****, Keri, Sara, VD, ilovetvd, DreamsBeatReality,** and** bubblesmonster**: you're all more amazing than I could say. This particular chapter is dedicated to bubblesmonster for reminding me that the spell to bind Mikael is known as desiccating him—as I would've forgotten and called it the 'freezy drying out spell.' Keri, I was laughing about that when writing the last chapter as well. I rationalized that he spoke to Elijah before he left, as well, but you never know with Klaus—maybe he just felt like getting drunk in the comfort of his room. VD, there is nothing like the close bond and untainted trust—wonder how long that'll last, hmmm? I'm glad their love translates; it's very interesting to write.  Ilovetvd, I'm happy you enjoyed the last chapter and the klaroline lovin'. I daresay that there is more in your future. : P Oh, and Sara, you're the only one to mention Morgan. Hmmmmm~

Side note, but I'm writing an oneshot with the coolest concept from Greek mythology, Caroline is a siren and Klaus is a sailor. It's not as cheesy as it sounds; I'm aiming more for whimsical and strange. It'll probably be up a day or two after this is, so keep an eye out! : )

I'll stop blabbing now, but I would like to state that writing this has gotten me even more obsessed with the Original family. I keep watching the season of the Originals and waiting for October. **17 days! **Review cause you're so excited with me!


	9. IX

"_Horses are the opposite of people. They're loyal. My father hunted me for a thousand years and the closest he ever came was the day he killed my favorite horse. He severed its neck with a sword as a warning."_ **Niklaus Mikaelson, 3x13**

* * *

The moonlight trickled through the thick tree tops, making a lovely pattern on the leafy ground beneath the blonde human's feet. She felt glued to her spot, unsure if the better tactic would be to leave or stay where she stood.

Caroline found herself in a daze as she glanced around the tree line, keeping her eyes peeled for anything unusual. Her mother had given her no reason to trust her, but it was her _mother._ Trusting family came easily to the blonde—probably too easily. Likewise, the Mikaelson family had given her no _real_ reason to trust them either, she rationalized, but the thought also occurred to her that trusting no one would probably end up getting her killed, anyways.

Without pausing to consider her actions, the woman retraced her steps, running back to the direction of her home. The dark, her fear and her human senses all did wonders on her ability to walk the forest. When she would usually walk leisurely over the roots and branches in the way, she found herself stumbling with every step.

The sight that the woman stumbled upon as she reached the tree line that linked itself to her yard was one that she hadn't been prepared for, not at all. A tall, intimidatingly strange man stood at the threshold of her door, and she could see Niklaus in her small house through the window. Her hybrid companion was obviously banking on the idea that his father needed an invitation to get inside. The human found her bottom lip and caught it between her teeth, trying to devise some sort of plan that avoided getting everyone killed.

The girl just wasn't the scheming type, even under such a pressure; she felt her face redden in the dark as she worked every possibility through her brain. Perhaps Mikael had compelled her mother into believing that he was invited in? What if it was all a farce?

In any situation, the blonde certainly wasn't taking any chances with her second family. If she dies, she'll be turned into a vampire and live forever. If Niklaus dies, he will never come back to life to charm her with his handsome face and generous humor. The thought alone pumped adrenaline through her veins as she thought back to the leather pouch that she carried with her.

There was a way out of this, she knew that there was. It just hadn't clicked within her yet.

As Mikael seemed to be getting more impatient, the thought occurred to the human that perhaps an idea would not click within her until it was too late. She decided to act on impulse, instead. Vampires have super hearing so if she tried to run through the forest, one of them would likely hear her. Instead, she edged herself around the tree line slowly until she was near the back of her home. Once there, the young girl knelt deeply and made a quick break for it, running through the wild grass softly until her back was pressed upon the plaster that was the foundation of her home.

Her heart was beating so wildly that it almost made the woman believe that she was having a heart attack. If it sounded so loud to her own ears, surely the vampires near could hear her blood pumping with such vigor? Trying to shake the thought, the blonde slowly worked her way around to the side of the house, near the window that she originally saw Niklaus through.

The man caught her eye in the most subtle of manner. If you weren't searching his face for surprise, it probably would have been impossible to detect. His eyebrows were also scrunched together in a way that led Caroline to believe that he was angry at her… she couldn't blame the man, as she was pretty mad at herself for being so idiotic. Still, it isn't in the human's nature to leave her loved one behind when he was caught in a trap.

Niklaus held his attention on the man before him, but every few seconds she could feel his unease over her proximity. She decided to do what she planned to do and leave; simply hope for the best from that point out. Gesturing wildly, the girl pointed to the pot of steaming vervain and lye that still sat upon her table. At least if Mikael was invited inside, her lover had a distraction; an option to escape.

Her _lover?_ Her mind reeled at the choice of words, deciding to move past it for the time being but making a note to revisit that subject later. "Distracted, boy?" Caroline had been blocking out most of their conversation, but that particular question rang louder than the rest. As if she was supposed to hear it.

The look of panic on the hybrids face was far more obvious than his previous look of surprise, and it gave the two away immediately. When Caroline blinked, Mikael was inside her house and peering through the same window that she was in front of. Jumping up quickly, the blonde began backing up, eyes wide as she realized that she'd been caught.

The blonde human watched in horror as the hunter turned from the window with vampire speed and raised an arm to stake Klaus… That quickly! The human wasn't sure what she was expecting from Mikael, but it surely hadn't been a ten minute visit in which he kills her hybrid and then her. When she blinked once more, however, the vampire hunter was covered in the blue-purple liquid that she had been creating all that night.

The best part, she couldn't help but to grin as she watched, was the fact that it had thickened. The blue liquid was sludge, and sat upon the vampire as if it were glue, burning the man and causing his screams to echo through the night sky. "You're honestly just sitting here?" A slightly unfamiliar voice stated, causing her eyes to widen and the young girl to whip around, facing Elijah with joy clear on her expression. He was _alive. _When he hadn't warned the vampires about Mikael, Caroline assumed the worst.

Her first emotion was joy, and that was followed closely by confusion. "How-?" She couldn't get her question answered though, because the man threw her over his shoulder with such force that the wind was knocked from her lungs. "Oof." She involuntarily groaned, feeling queasy as the trees passed by them in record time. "Very polite!" She yelled sarcastically over the sound of wind whipping around her.

Elijah spoke in a soft tone, and the human was truly amazed that she could hear it over her own hyperventilating, the wind and the echoes of the screams that had now ceased. "Lower your voice, we're being _hunted." _As always, the girl was amazed at this vampire's ability to calm her with just his words. She hadn't realized until that moment just how much she'd missed the tranquil presence of Eli. If he'd been with the trio as they awaited Mikael, he could have kept her from worrying herself out of sleep.

They reached the stables in seconds; Rebekah was already atop a white horse, and she had two others saddled, as well. The woman had a hard frown on her face, and she didn't seem to have the same hopefulness that Caroline was filled with when she first saw Elijah. Instead, she had something akin to dread on her beautiful features.

The vampires had kept their plan of attack on Mikael hush-hush, should she be compelled in any unfavorable way. '_Like inviting him into my home,_' she frowned slightly, moving past it. Still, the woman didn't think that their line of attack would be "flee on horses." Running was a rather juvenile tactic, but if that was the only option left then they all should have done so two weeks earlier. Eli set her upon the ground, catching the girl once more when her feet proved to be useless and she began to fall.

Caroline spent most of her life making soap in peace and attempting to avoid the wrath of her father, she truly wasn't suited for all of this action. When she found her feet once more, she nodded as thanks to the man and walked to stand beside her own creature. "Is fleeing really the plan of action?" She asked uncertainly, looking up at the majestic brown horse before her. It was the same one that she rode on with Niklaus, and she frowned as she attempted to recall the name of it. Beth? She thought that was it.

Softly, she pet Beth's mane and considered the course of action to come. She watched emotionlessly as Elijah got on the back of a horse for himself, and while the woman knew that she should do the same, she just couldn't stand the idea of leaving Niklaus alone in the forest to deal with his vampire hunting father. At the moment, she had two lives, and that was an advantage—but if Mikael had truly been watching, then he would know that she was ingesting blood.

Which would mean that his line of attack would probably be to decapitate her, should he wish for her death; knowing that gave the woman an advantage of sorts. She could avoid getting her head cut off if the risk arose. "Don't be foolish, Caroline." Rebekah warned in her signature haughty voice, her chin raised and her eyes hard. She had obviously not been anticipating the attack that night; none of them had been. "Board your horse, we have mere minutes."

Moist tears made their way to the blonde human's eyes before she could stop them. The girl found herself glancing around the stables, hoping to find the familiar face of her hybrid grinning back at her and forcing her upon the horse. He wasn't around, though. "I…" She frowned, unable to believe herself. "I can't abandon Niklaus. I've promised him on several occasions…"

"My brother is the most resilient person I know, sister. He has been hunted for hundreds of years and still lives; don't do something foolish because you believe that you can save his life." Rebekah hissed with venom, as if she couldn't believe that she had to convince her blonde friend to leave with her. They'd both been talking about their fear over this man only an hour before, how could she be so stubborn?

Caroline's blue eyes were moist and wide, making the woman resemble a doe when you paired it with her skittish demeanor. "I have a bad feeling, Rebekah. I don't believe that he can make it from this without me."

Her stomach turned with dread, the bad feeling that she was just speaking of eating away at the woman. Mikael had been two seconds away from staking her hybrid only moments before, and the thought about how he could regain that advantage quickly wouldn't shake from her mind. "Go, sister. Make sure that the witch is in position to desiccate Mikael; I'll watch after Caroline and Klaus." Elijah spoke with an authoritative tone as he turned his attention to the human. "Hop on up, we'll go catch your lost dog." Rebekah didn't need to be told twice as she began to trot toward the mansion that was home to the vampires for months now.

Caroline scowled at the werewolf joke, realizing that no one seemed to joke about Klaus' condition unless the circumstances were dire. Still, the young woman put one foot through the stirrup and used the leverage to bring her other leg onto the opposite side of the creature. After the woman got settled on the saddle, the two took off into a trot—it didn't take long for the girl to realize that they were heading in the same direction that they had previous ran from. "Do you believe that they will still be near my house?" She had to shout over the noise of the passing wind and galloping horses.

The blonde found that she was stunned at how handsome her friend looked as he glanced over his shoulder to look at the girl, his dark brown hair being tousled in the wind. She'd forgotten how handsome he was, period. "Meeting us at the stables would have led Mikael right there; Nik likely went in the opposite direction, away from the manor or the clearing that you're fond of. Your home is a starting point."

The human could see her breath as she attempted to regain control over her emotions; she immediately regretted not putting on a cloak before going out into the night, as the wind chill went straight to her bones. "What happened to you?" She had to ask; while waiting for the story would probably be more ideal, her curiosity was always getting the better of the girl.

"Father somehow created a duplicate of himself; I was following the wrong person." Regret was clear on his voice, and Caroline knew that the man likely blamed himself for how dramatically everything was playing out. The blonde supposed that you couldn't take down a vampire vampire hunter without a little drama thrown in to spice things up.

"How did you discover the truth?" The question bubbled up more quickly than she could even process it. If he had been far from the town when he was tracking the fake, he must have realized his error either yesterday or earlier that day.

Elijah let the silence overtake them for several moments before he answered in the vaguest way possible. "A little bird told me."

"Elizabeth?" She guessed accurately, rolling her eyes when the vampire didn't reply after several minutes; thus confirming her suspicions. The woman wasn't positive of the motives behind her mother's actions, but she hoped that the woman would leave them all alone now that this Mikael situation was playing out. The stranger acted as if she wanted to help but if that was truly the case, she could have told them about Mikael's deception earlier. Caroline didn't trust the woman as far as she could throw her. When they reached the clearing, that very woman was standing in the yard; appearing as if she was waiting for them. "Speak of the devil and she shall appear." The teen muttered to herself with a roll of her eyes.

It seems that Elizabeth could tell that she was unwelcomed, as the first thing out of her mouth was: "I'm only here to help. It's my fault that Mikael is here; I'd like to right my wrongs." Elijah held a face of mild distrust and amusement (come to think of it, Caroline mused to herself, Eli seemed to be constantly amused at his surroundings, even if they weren't funny) and she was positive that her face held only a glare. "I've been watching the whole thing; they ran that way."

The two took off in the direction that she had pointed them to without a moment's hesitation, as both were perfectly aware that finding the father and son would've been difficult with nothing to go off of. As Beth was a few seconds away from being submerged in the forest completely, the blonde teenager couldn't help but to glance over her shoulder in hopes of catching one last glimpse of her mother before the woman likely left her once again. She stood deadly still near the small house, and the look of worry painted upon her face was a hard one to miss. The teenager wasn't sure what type of closure she thought that she'd get by looking at her mother, but none overcame her either way. Instead, she still found herself feeling hurt and angry.

Caroline couldn't help but to think that this whole situation was ten times scarier due to the fact that it was taking place in a forest. There were no real landmarks to aid in their hunt, only more trees to blend in with the last few hundred that they'd passed. Plus, forests naturally seem scary to the girl; too many things could be lurking in the shadows.

They rode in the direction that Elizabeth sent them for what felt like forever, and just when the woman was about to scream in frustration (hey, at least they might come to her then…) there was the echoing of a thump from the left, followed by what felt like the Earth bouncing. The forest floor had shaken slightly, and it was obviously from one of the men's super-strength. Caroline dug her heels into Beth and leaned forward, far more eager than Elijah. She couldn't blame him; it was her understanding that Mikael wanted all of their family dead, not just Klaus. He went back with her as a favor to his friend; the blonde made a mental note that she owed him one.

The human's heart was racing as she and the horse barreled in the direction of the disturbance, and it nearly stopped cold at the sight of the two men struggling. Thinking ahead, the woman gripped the reigns with one hand, and undid her leather pouch with the other. The Mikaelson duo were still a while away, but the Forbes girl felt her pulse quicken with each step that Beth made. She had absolutely no idea what the plan was.

When Caroline saw the two men for the first time, Niklaus had an advantage on his father—the man had his back against a tree, with his arm shooting straight through to his father's heart. However, the slight advantage that the hybrid had lasted all of two seconds. Soon, Mikael had his sons back against the tree instead; arm poised in the air once again to stake the vampire. The teen would be damned if she wasn't about to take that moment of hesitation.

Originally, her plan had been barrel into the vampire with her horse; however, the blonde was fairly sure that went against Beth's natural instinct. Luckily, Elijah saved her from having to come up with a backup plan. He had gotten off of his horse and tackled Mikael before the blonde could process the events. Rebekah had explained that their father was in possession of a stake that could kill even the most indestructible of vampires; the _Original_ vampires. While the human girl found it hard to believe that the vampire hunter only had one 'special' stake, she did believe that he only had one on him.

Because Mikael had a clear shot at Elijah's heart, but the man didn't take it; he was saving it for the hybrid, the same one that she was fighting so hard to save. As she met the handsome man's eyes, they seemed to have reached the same conclusion fairly quickly: _run. _The young woman didn't have to slow down her horse for the hybrid to be able to jump on the back of it, his arm sliding over her midsection before she could realize it.

For a few brief seconds, the teenager allowed herself to be just that: a teen. Her heart sped up (as if it could beat any more quickly) and her palms were slightly clammy. Inhaling and exhaling seemed to require more of an effort, and she could hear it as if it was practically in slow motion. In fact, the entire event happened in slow motion; until it suddenly wasn't.

Niklaus sitting so closely behind her, being a source of warmth on the cold night. Her breath quickening, her cheeks reddening. Beth galloping for what felt like minutes, but what was really seconds. The echoes of a scream in the background. Niklaus grabbing a fist-full of the blondes hair and pulling her down, off the horse at lightning quick speed. The blade of the sword (that Caroline previously hadn't seen) slicing the neck of Beth; the blade breezing through the space that her own head previously was. The image of a headless, brown haired horse lying before her as if it was a horror movie.

When Caroline returned from her out of body experience, the woman was backed against a tree with a sword to her neck and Mikael's cold, strong grip holding her in place. She had obviously missed some of the conversation, but it wasn't exactly hard to catch on: "Go on, boy; make your choice. Your loved ones or yourself?"

Niklaus, she couldn't help but to notice, looked like a lost little boy. His wide eyes were moist, reminding the woman of the remorse he felt after his attack on her. He didn't say anything, and she knew that he wouldn't. His first instinct was self-preservation, and she wasn't sure if that fact would ever change. "That's what I thought." Mikael spoke with disgust laced through his words, turning his attention to the human when he spoke next, "And you thought that he was worth saving?" Mild curiosity rang through his voice, as if he was talking about the weather and not his son's life.

All the blonde teenager could focus on was the feeling of the sharp, freezing cold and bloody blade pressing into her pale white skin. When the man pressed the blade down harder, she realized that he actually wanted her to reply. It came out in a gasp, as if she almost forgot how to speak: "H-he is."

"Forget about her, father, it's me that you want." Klaus found his voice once more, causing Mikael to turn his attention to the hybrid when he was speaking; Caroline couldn't help but to catch on to the fact that he was distracted. When the vampire hunter opened his mouth to reply to his son, the woman acted quickly—she dodged the blade stealthily and jammed the soap that she had previously retrieved from her pouch into the vampire hunter's mouth. While the burning sound was satisfying to hear, she decided not to stick around and relish in it. Instead, the girl made a break for it the second that the commotion went down.

Mikael went after her immediately, which was to be expected. To be honest, the blonde girl was over thinking about her vampire family above all else at that point. She wanted to get out of that forest. Preferably alive, but she'd settle for being a vampire if she had no other options. The woman just wanted _out, _and desperate times calls for desperate measures.

When she glanced backwards, Caroline noted that it had been Elijah to tackle Mikael and keep him from reaching her. Klaus wasn't far behind though, as Eli held his father in place while Klaus was once again reaching his arm into the man's torso. Mikael was stronger and faster than even the two brothers though, and Elijah had his neck snapped less than two seconds later.

Niklaus was on the ground now, for what his father probably thought was the last time. The blonde human decided to act while she could as there was room for error at every corner; she backtracked once more to save Niklaus, moving slowly so that Mikael didn't turn his attention on her.

Finally, when the man raised his stake to Niklaus for the third time, one Caroline Forbes stabbed the vampire hunter through the heart with her trusty dagger. As the man began to grey and marbleize, his son threw the hard body to the side. It was obvious to the human that her hybrid companion was still shaken, as his eyes were wide and his breathing was shallow.

The woman didn't have to think twice before she ran straight into his arms; both were shaking and breathless, unable to form words that complemented the moment of victory. When the young woman finally pulled back to look into his handsome blue eyes, a shy smile made its way onto her face. "We make a decent team."

Her stomach was doing cartwheels as the blue-eyed man beamed back at her, his grin impossible to miss. The hybrid gently brushed a strand of hair from her eyes, seemingly staring into her very soul as he replied: "No, love. We're a magnificent team." With her tumbling stomach, racing heart and aching cheeks (from smiling, of course,) the blonde was feeling pretty silly.

Romance does that, she supposed.

And just like that, the moment was gone. Rebekah was there with a gust of air, tearing running down her pale white cheeks. The woman seemed shocked when she saw the two standing there, her hand placed gingerly over her heart. "When the witch couldn't do the spell—"she glanced to the side, as if afraid to voice her thoughts. "I thought the worst."

Caroline stepped back from the hybrid, sending him one last soft smile before she walked to where the blonde vampire stood. "Elijah will awake from his nap any minute now. I'm sorry we worried you, sister." She apologized deeply as she reached up to wipe the fallen tears from her friend's cheeks. After she finished, the teenager pulled her companion in for a tight hug; both were painfully aware of how closely they came to never speaking again. Niklaus was there in a flash, wrapping the two women in for a group hug that felt surreal. The blonde human didn't take Nik for a group hug kind of person, and felt special for getting the privilege.

"No hug for me?" An amused voice quipped, causing Caroline to whip her head around and grin. Elijah was resting casually against a tree, one foot poised against the oak as if he was a model. The girl wiggled from the other two Mikaelson's, and walked casually to the other brother.

When she stood before him, the blonde held open her arms; ready and willing to force the man into a hug. Luckily, he was a willing participant, and his arms were around her softly a few seconds later. "Thank you for saving my life, Eli." She spoke softly, the words meant for him alone, despite the fact that the two people accompanying them had super-hearing. With a kiss on the cheek, Caroline stepped back from the hug, a slight smile playing on her lips.

"Unfortunately, you're thanking the wrong brother. If Nik hadn't thought so quickly on his feet, I would have had no one to save." The girl thought back to when they were on the horse; how she could practically feel the blade pass over her, mere inches away from her head. The look on Niklaus' face, even minutes after the event. As if on cue, their eyes met once again.

Caroline was unsure if she would ever look away when the man was holding her gaze, it settled and unsettled her at once; he made her feel as if she was the only girl alive. Maybe in his world she was, as he usually ate live girls, as opposed to falling for them. As she looked into his dark blue eyes, the woman could tell that thanks were unnecessary; both being alive to tell the tale was thanks enough. Still, her lips formed the words, "Thank you, Niklaus."

Always able to remain casual, he smiled softly. "Don't mention it." The moment was broken once more as Elijah went to find his lost horse and Niklaus insisted that she get upon his back for the walk home.

She eventually caved, complaining as she wrapped her arms around the man's neck, "I feel like a child."

"Nonsense, sweetheart. You're a beautiful, strong young adult who happens to walk _very_ slowly." The hybrid teased easily, him and Rebekah speed-walking in step (Caroline wondered vaguely if they practice that) toward their spacious mansion. The teenager had acted offended, slapping his shoulder and scoffing; although silently, Caroline couldn't help but to feel extremely grateful for this odd group of characters entering her life. They came with baggage, but they cared for her in the way that she's always yearned for.

* * *

So Mikael is dead! For the time being? Nahhh I wouldn't bring him back to haunt y'all in _this_ story. Either way, now we can all focus on some sweet ass Klaroline lovin'— f yeah. Also, I know I've been teasing you with the mysterious mother card, but the truth behind that won't be revealed for a while. We can all pretend that Liz doesn't exist for the time being. ; )

That Klaus quote pretty much inspired this entire story; it was interesting writing something that I've been anticipating so highly. As excited as I've been, it really turned out differently than I had expected. Not sure if that's a good thing or not, but I guess I'll let you guys decide!

This one is for my super freaking awesome reviewers and followers, 'cause you actually read this silly story. That means you especially: **bubblesmonster, Sara, ilovetvd** and **guest.** Sorry in advance for spelling or grammar errors, I'm bad like that.


	10. X

"_Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you." _**  
****― **Friedrich Nietzsche

* * *

The sun seemed to rise and fall at the whims of the Mikaelson family on the days that followed the demise of Mikael. Caroline let the siblings deal with his body, as that was more their expertise than her own, although she had heard Elijah mumbling something about a tomb in Charlotte. She never asked specifically. Still, every time the blonde went to visit the manor, Rebekah was either planning the ball, or they were feeding casually on some humans. The young woman was getting more used to the sight—which disturbed her, yet made her life simpler all at once.

Reality seemed to strike the blonde randomly two days after the fight, when she was lounging in the living room and Rebekah called for a maid to serve them fruit. The human was accustomed to Morgan bringing them the dishes (Elijah had long ago admitted that he found her easy on the eyes, and thus she worked more hours than the plain looking girls) but instead it was the plainest of plain maids serving their food.

Perhaps Caroline wouldn't have found that odd had she not lived with them for months prior; however, the only times that the redhead didn't serve the food was when she was out running errands, and something told the blonde that it wasn't that simple, as the woman hadn't been around the day prior, either. "Is Morgan running an errand?" The high-strung woman tried to keep her tone casual, but it failed miserably. Instead, her sentence wobbled in the most pathetic of natures.

Rebekah tilted her head to the side, as if she was considering the question. Her friend wasn't naive enough to buy that approach; she guessed the vampire wasn't sure how to break the news. Whatever it may be. "The spell to desiccate Mikael needed a human life and the maid offered herself for the cause."

She couldn't control herself from standing quickly from the couch, outraged at the manner in which the vampire ended up breaking the news. "Somehow I doubt that, Rebekah!" She spit out, venom clear in her voice.

Sure, Caroline had hardly known Morgan at all. In truth, the young woman was rather rude to the blonde teen. She had rarely broken a smile in the others direction, if Car was going to be honest with herself; but all that was beyond the point.

Morgan had been a prisoner to the generous pay that the vampires gave her for serving them, just as Caroline had been a prisoner within their house. They were both attractive humans who had caught the interest of at least one of the Mikaelson boys. (Granted, Elijah's infatuation with the redhead was nowhere near Klaus' with the blonde.) They were alike, in a sense.

Rebekah stood from the couch as well, looking more disinterested with this conversation by the second. "Morgan had seen too much as it was, it's better she be gone now than to recognize you as an abomination to the townspeople after you turn."

"IF I turn, you mean to say." The human corrected fiercely, her face transforming to an amazing shade of red.

The vampire waved her hand lazily, "If you say so."

Shaking her head, Caroline found herself reaching for her cloak and throwing it over her shoulders. "I adore you on most days, Rebekah, but after what I've just learned, I couldn't force myself to look at you." As if he was eavesdropping this whole time, a stair on the staircase creaked. She didn't need to look to know who it had been. "I can't stand to look at _any_ of you." The human corrected sharply, her head clouded with thoughts of death.

When she stormed past the frozen hybrid, the blonde couldn't force herself to meet his eyes. It wasn't until she was on the front porch that he followed, a gentle hand on her shoulder blade to pause the departure. "Please allow me to walk you home, love."

The cold air rustled past the two, making the only human one shiver. She met his eyes at last, angry at them for being so warm for such a cold-hearted person. "Because I know too much and you have to kill me?"

The handsome man took two steps closer to her, making the young woman shiver for a completely different reason this time. "How could I kill someone so magnificent?"

The blonde tilted her head slightly, looking deep within his eyes. She doubted that the man even saw her qualms over killing Morgan; this was, of course, the fundamental problem that clouded their love affair. "Why don't you ask Morgan?" She replied easily, pausing for dramatic effect. "Oh wait, you can't; you killed her!"

Niklaus' face was in a prominent frown, one that almost had the blonde teenager convinced that he sympathized with the girl. But then he spoke, and reminded her of the original problems. "Her life was a sacrifice for our own."

Caroline found herself pitying the hybrid for being able to think thoughts like that and believe them. "She didn't deserve to die." Were her final words as she walked away from the older man once more.

Always the persistent one, her hybrid followed obediently. "That's easy for you to say, after moving out you rarely had to live through her culinary work."

The human hated herself for the bubbles of laughter that spread throughout her chest; and because of this, the sobs that came along with them. Morgan had been a truly awful cook, and it'd become something of a joke within the family. It had been one of the things that made Caroline enjoy their company; they'd treated the girl almost as if she was a member of their own.

Suddenly, she thought of Kol. Maybe she had been delusional about what it meant to be a part of the Mikaelson family; maybe this was the wake up call that she had needed for quite some time.

Because of this realization, Caroline found herself shaking off the hand that found it's way to her own. The young woman was too confused to work through her feelings when Klaus was there to breathe down her neck, and before she even realized it had happened; words slipped from her pink lips. "I'm afraid that I need time to figure out what I'm doing with my life."

"I beg of you to allow me the walk home; let me plead my case, even if you've already reached a verdict." His accent cut through the wind and reached her ears seamlessly. She had always had a soft spot for this particular vampire, and it seemed that it would never harden up.

"I suppose." She allowed, although her voice indicated just how happy she actually was about it. Not at all. "Why her? It could have been any person, could it not?"

As she gazed over to Niklaus, the girl found herself amazed once again at his handsome features. The man stunned her every time she glanced at him, and it was growing more irritating as her willpower grew weaker. "Indeed." He agreed easily, always able to carry himself as if he hadn't a care in the world. "There are other factors to consider, however."

"Such as...?" She prompted, glancing at him from the corner of her eyes.

Nik shrugged simply when he felt her eyes upon his form, "Morgan wasn't the person that you thought she was." The man seemed to pause, wondering if he should continue on his train of thought, "People rarely are."

Her gaze was purposeful as she met his eyes, "I'm learning that more as each day passes."

"It was Elijah's idea that she be the one to sacrifice." He started, obviously hoping that Ellijah's kind nature would persuade the human to see their side of the story. "Morgan had learned our weaknesses over time; dosing herself vervain in practically every beverage or food that she consumed. She also had a knack for eavesdropping, often being caught lurking around a doorway or two."

With a roll of the eyes, the blonde clarified, "So being cautionary warrants getting murdered?"

The hybrid tsk'd the woman in return, shaking his head rather fondly. "No, but stealing a dagger that can incapacitate an Original does."

The surprise reveal actually had Caroline pause on their brisk journey to her home. "The one that I used?" She had to ask, curious when all of these events went down without her knowledge.

The human cautiously allowed her companion to link arms with her this time, walking faster than was customary for her but slower than customary for him. "The very one. When Bekah went to fetch it to give to you, " the tone that was used to accompany that sentence gave her an idea of his disapproval, "she found it missing. Morgan tried to stake her later that night, not long before the Bennett witch was to start the spell."

Easily able to follow her close friends thought processes, Caroline finished the story for him. "So Elijah suggested killing her instead of an innocent." Niklaus didn't have to reply after that, the silence confirming her suspicions easily enough.

The Mikaelson's had a way of sending her mind reeling; if it wasn't one thing happening, it was another. The human thought that she should be tired of it, but most of the time she reveled in the excitement.

Her house seemed to approach quickly enough, and it wasn't until they reached her doorway that she realized how exhausted she was. Instead of breaking the comfortable silence that had enveloped over them, the teenager wrapped her arms around her beacon of warmth. The same man who had stabbed her and saved her, the man who continues to intrigue and infuriate her. The only thing that had been certain since he entered her life was the uncertainty that he brought, and suddenly she felt as if the drama wasn't as exciting as it was a hassle.

"I need time." She whispered into his ear nearing the end of their two minute long hug. She was as reluctant to let him go as ever, despite herself. "Time and space."

As he pulled away from her, she couldn't help but to notice the sorrow painted on his face. She couldn't shake the feeling that he was replaying their differences in his mind, just as she was with his. They were in limbo, so to speak. They clearly had feelings for each other, but neither knew how to move on to the next phase of their relationship- or if they should, for that matter.

Most of all, the two continued to dance around the subject of her humanity. Niklaus would never ask her to turn without some encouragement, and she'd never ask to turn without the same thing from him. They had somehow gotten frozen trusting each other and not knowing where to go from there.

Caroline guessed that they would never figure out where to go if she didn't figure out where she wanted them to go. And she couldn't do that with him intoxicating her with his presence at every turn. It was impossible.

The blonde took to her cottage after that night. Three days had passed only, and yet it felt as if it was a lifetime. She knew that she should feel happiness over their victory with Mikael—and she did. She also felt hollow, and it had taken her only a day and a half to realize why: Elizabeth seemed to have left again. Despite the fact that she was angry at the woman, she was still her mother. Caroline had a tiny spark of hope in her chest that the woman would prove herself for once, only to be let down again. She knew that she shouldn't feel surprise, but it still crept up on her like a burglar in the night.

With the surprise came a whole lot of sadness as well; the teenager decided to allow herself a few days to wallow in it before she moved on once and for all. To pass the days, she continued her pretty constant soap-making endeavors. She had a fair stock of the vervain soap now, and the woman was debating on the idea of selling the soap to a market in town. Hopefully, she could still make money on the bars without having to make a daily commute to downtown; an hour walk from her hidden little hut in the chilly weather every single day was anything but ideal.

An idea for a tag line flashed in her mind: "It Saved My Life, Let It Save Yours!" And the girl chuckled at the silly thought as she lay awake in bed one particular morning. It hadn't been the vervain soap that saved her, it was her vampire family.

She stared at her misshapen ceiling, thinking about the people who have grown in her heart fondly. Perhaps she was melancholy for more reasons than Elizabeth's abandonment; perhaps it was because she had gotten the idea in her mind prior to Mikael's arrival that she wouldn't make it from that forest alive. No one would ever want to admit their grand desire for becoming undead, but Caroline had gotten adjusted to the idea. She had… welcomed it, in a sense.

She knew she was being silly. Her humanity was a gift, and keeping it longer was something to be grateful for; not the opposite. That didn't stop her thoughts from drifting occasionally as she thought about the world, and how it could be her oyster should she live forever. Niklaus could see that side of her, her adventurous spirit; she knew at the twinkle in his eyes as he watched her looking at his paintings, or Rebekah's souvenirs.

A knock sounded on her wooden door, much to the blonde woman's expectations. She'd made plans to have a girl's day with Rebekah, whatever that may entail to the vampire. "Come in." She called as she sat up in her small bed, leaning against the wall casually and smiling sleepily at the other woman. "I forgot about our plans." She admitted reluctantly, standing and walking toward her dresser.

"I expected as much," Rebekah replied, taking a seat at the dining room table and continuing the conversation, even as Caroline went into the closet to change. "Which is why I arrived twenty minutes later than we had planned to leave." The vampire mumbled to herself, pressing her chin into her palm sourly.

Caroline came out of the closet a minute later, looking flustered with red cheeks and rustled hair; a plum floor-length dress graced upon her elegant figure. She smiled with exaggeration, "Alright sister, I'm ready for your torture."

The blonde vampire stood from her spot, moving towards the front door with a roll of her eyes. "I'd hardly call shopping torture, you drama queen." The blonde teenager followed after her older counterpart, slipping on shoes and taking hold of her coin purse and key. The Mikaelson had taken her car to the younger woman's house, but her house had no road leading to it. The two made their way in the direction of the road, a small smile on each of their faces.

"You say that because you have yet to see my coin purse." The human reminded softly, completely aware that the vampire had planned on buying her anything she pleased. That was the last thing that the blonde teenager wanted; she didn't need to be babied, she was only a few months away from turning eighteen and becoming a legal adult. The woman swore to herself that she'd begin to act like an adult starting her release from the Mikaelson family, and that's just what she planned to do.

It was a beautiful day out, without a cloud in the sky to tarnish it. The cold October air brought in a chilly breeze, but Caroline didn't find it uncomfortable yet; moreover, the trees were looking gorgeous with dark brown and red leaves hanging upon the branches for dear life. It's inevitable that those poor little red beauties drift to the natural ground, only to be crushed beneath the women's feet as they walked past.

The ladies made it into town in no time, stopping at the first dress shop that they walked past. Caroline hadn't ever been to a ball or anything close if she was going to be honest and while the idea was luxurious; finding a dress was a tedious chore. There were many beautiful gowns, but she couldn't afford any of them. She still had a few days before the big party, so the woman had planned to stop by the grocery store in town and pitch her soap. Hopefully, she'd be able to afford it by the weeks end.

Rebekah was having the time of her life trying on dresses, and the younger teen humored her by doing the same. The human had always suspected that none enjoyed shopping more than her vampire sister, and her suspicions were confirmed the first time that the girl had seen her companion's closet. It was bigger than Caroline's entire house.

The vampire settled upon a baby blue dress that complimented her slightly curvy figure perfectly, clenching at her chest and widening as it progressed downwards. It only went to her knees, which was pretty scandalous, but it looked classy on the woman. Bekah could wear anything and look classy, much to the humans envy.

As the woman was paying for her clothing (if paying equaled compelling the employee to think that she did) the vampire shook her head in disbelief. "I still think you should buy that navy dress, sister. We'd look like visions in blue, together." She beamed, and the teenage girl couldn't help but to chuckle at the humanity in the almost-thousand year old woman.

"I'll come back another day and find something just as lovely, I'm afraid I'm distracted today." The teen replied softly, shaking her head as if to clear her thoughts. She was distracted; over the thoughts of selling her soap, as well as a certain hybrid. Not that Niklaus was ever very far from her mind.

The man somehow found a way to consume her every thought, seemingly with very little effort. Like a snake, he infuriatingly slithered through her ear canals and into her soft brain tissue; she couldn't even sit inside the comfort of her cabin without looking at something that reminded her of him.

Niklaus hadn't shown his face to the human after she parted ways from him days ago, and Caroline hated herself for asking the man for space. She also hated to admit it, but she desperately longed to see him. While the girl knew that she was worth more than some ruthless killer, that didn't stop her desire for the hybrid from swelling at the thought of him. It was an inner debate that never seemed to let up, and she was growing tired of it.

The blonde knew she had to decide about Klaus soon; either give into his advances or let him loose forever. Still, the struggle wore on, and his absence did nothing for him. As if the hybrid could read her mind, the young woman glanced outside through the window and spotted him standing across the street casually. The man looked handsome in a button up shirt and black tie, his white sleeves pushed up to his elbows. For a vampire, he was quite tan. He was talking to the flower merchant and holding a tulip, her favorite flower.

As if the vampire felt her eyes on him, he turned and met her gaze quickly. After days apart, the intensity in the air between the two was electric. Feeling her stomach turn violently, Caroline knew at once what her decision would be in the end. Perhaps she always knew, but her stubbornness blinded her from seeing it; now that the dust was settled, her feelings for the man seemed quite obvious. But that didn't mean that the woman had to be happy about them, or even fully succumb to them yet.

Niklaus was going to have to work for it, after all. The blonde turned to Rebekah with an apologetic smile, about to mumble something about talking to her brother—but the vampire beat her to it. With the roll of her eyes, the blonde woman waved her hand easily. "Go on then, you lovesick puppies…"

Normally, it would be in the blonde teenager's nature to deny the accusation, but because it was the truth she found herself only shrugging as a reply. "Sorry, Bekah." She apologized as she hugged the woman goodbye, quickly pulling the door of the clothing store open and passing through the threshold. The sun was shining brightly on the busy town square and it seemed as if every person beside Caroline was in a hurry; it should go without saying that the woman bumped into a handful of people.

She made it through the sidewalk quickly enough, and crossed the street with ease. There wasn't nearly as many people driving as there were walkers or horseback riders, and the roads were easily less hectic. Niklaus had a familiar smirk on his face as the woman approached him, "Hello there."

The blonde suddenly felt shy as she stood before the vampire, and she found herself pushing hair behind her ear simply to keep herself busy. "Hi." She murmured, biting down on her lower lip as she considered what to say next. "I haven't seen you in quite a while."

Caroline felt vulnerable as Klaus' eyes trailed over her, as if he was looking straight through her. "Yes, well. You asked for space, so who am I to do anything but oblige?" It's true that those words had passed through her lips after he walked her home on the night of the fight, but the woman didn't suspect that he'd take them to heart. "Was I wrong?" His words were almost sharp, but not quite. The human could tell that he wasn't wrong often, and the idea seemed like a foreign concept to him.

The girl shook her blonde waves easily, sighing into the wind. "I'm afraid that I was being unclear concerning my intentions." The market moved around them noisily, but neither seemed to take much of a notice.

The tall man took a few steps closer to the blonde woman, drawn to her. "What are your intentions, love?" His question was more of a plea; a plea to be let in on her train of thought, to be accepted. Not for the first time, the human wondered how he developed such feelings for her… his usual food.

Her blonde hair was being tussled in the blowing breeze as the woman glanced around the two, "I'm afraid I haven't eaten, and I'm quite famished. Will you join me for lunch?" She flashed the man a grin that she hoped was charming, but probably made her look crazy. Caroline's fatal flaw has always been her earnestness, something she's only just begun to accept as a gift. Partially because of her vampire family, she supposed.

"It would be a pleasure." He purred back, his eyes bearing into hers in a way that almost felt intimate. The girl just short of shivered when he extended the pink tulip for her to grasp. "A flower almost as lovely as you are." The man complimented, forcing the human to roll her eyes in return.

Caroline was never good at accepting compliments, and Klaus had the habit of giving them quite frequently. She supposed she should start learning. "Thank you." Her shyness reappeared just as quickly as it had vanished, and she took the flower from him gently. "I'll never get used to a best friend who squeals to the guy." The woman spoke, referring to his sister. Now that she thought about it, the girl could easily remember Rebekah asking what her favorite flower was; just yesterday, at that!

Klaus smiled easily at the human, linking her fingers with his before she could notice or object. The two worked their way through the busy sidewalks quickly, eventually approaching a small diner that didn't appear to be as hectic as the tour square was. The blonde couldn't help but to notice that the man didn't let go of her hand, even as he led her to a secluded booth in the corner of the restaurant.

The lighting in this building was dim, and Caroline couldn't tell if the owners did it to create a romantic feel or if that was simply all the light that they had. Either way, the atmosphere was relaxed and the woman felt at ease at once. Gently taking control of her hand once more and placing it on her lap, she smiled at her hybrid hesitantly.

"Tell me now." Klaus demanded, his head tilting down at an angle; something Caroline noticed the man does when he gets serious.

"I'm unsure of my intentions with you, Klaus…" She spoke hesitantly, not wanting to hurt his feelings by continuing. "I'm torn." She admitted reluctantly.

The hybrid scratched at the stubble on his face, a frown set deeply into his handsome features. "Explain the conflict to me, Caroline, because I see nothing wrong with how we feel about each other." He spoke with a surprising earnestness in his voice; a similar tone to the one that she often uses.

Her stomach turned at his open feelings for the woman; even Tyler had been shyer about his affections than Klaus was being. She supposed that he was old enough to know that he had nothing to lose. "I don't want to harm your feelings..." She warned truthfully, still quite hesitant at the thought of candidly telling the object of her affections how she feels.

The gaze that she was met with told the woman that all he yearned for was honestly; the man wanted to know if his feelings were reciprocated at all, and he wanted to know what was driving her away most of all. "You can tell me anything." The vampire promised simply, his eyes never once parting from her own.

The blonde was unsure how she wanted to approach her conflict, but she decided upon a fairly simple tactic. "Myself not included, what are humans for? Their purpose in life?"

Klaus looked genuinely puzzled at the question, tilting his head to the side as he pondered the correct reply. They were interrupted by the waiter, who quickly took their order and made himself scarce just as quickly. "I suppose they don't have a purpose; they're a means to an end." He admitted at last, knowing better than to lie to the blonde vixen. She would surely be able to sense his deception right away.

"That's the conflict, Niklaus." She spoke with a tone that stated that it should be obvious, "What makes me so different? You've proven that you think that I am, but what I want to know is what made you look at me in a different light; like I'm not a meal with an expiration date."

The silence lasted for several minutes, as it always did when the hybrid had to collect his thoughts. He wasn't good at sharing pieces of himself with others, and Caroline could always sense that it was difficult for him to indulge her. "I've been wondering the same thing ever since we met for the first time. Eventually I gave up, because it was exhausting and irrelevant. You're the best thing to happen to me in my entire life, can we not simply leave it at that?"

The blonde found herself blushing at the statements, shaking her head in return as she thought about the romantic in him that he tried desperately to hide. "You've been alive for nearly a thousand years; forgive me for having a difficult time believing your endless flattery."

When her vampire opened his mouth to reply, the woman felt disappointment swell within her when another voice beat him to the punch. "Caroline!" An oddly familiar voice called, forcing her attention over her companions shoulder and onto the man working his way towards her.

After all of the ridiculous time she had just wasted by pushing Niklaus away, the girl couldn't help but to want to spend hours and hours alone with him to make up for it. After all, the man had been alive a thousand years before he found her- and she planned to catch up on that lost time.

But of course, an old boyfriend had to enter the picture to make the whole scenario annoying. Painting on a smile, the blonde stood to hug her old best friend and confidant. It had only been a couple month's since she last saw him, but she felt as if it were a lifetime ago. The teenager had grown more in her time with the Mikaelson's than she ever did at church or school, although she still wasn't sure if the growth that she's made was for the better or not.

"You must be Tyler," Niklaus spoke as he stood from his own chair. Although the two had never discussed the past relationship between herself and Tyler; Caroline suddenly suspected that Rebekah was sharing more than her favorite flower choice with her brother. The man looked positively hostile. "The one who pressured her for things she wasn't ready for."

"Klaus!" Caroline hissed through a clenched jaw, hitting her hybrid at super-speed (for a human, that is) and blushing bright red. Leave it to Niklaus to make everything more awkward than it has to be.

Tyler's jaw set in a defining manner as he clenched it and frowned at her companion. "You must be Klaus, the one I've heard nothing about."

"Perhaps you haven't realized that you prefer it that way, hm?" The blonde couldn't help but to shake her head at Klaus' threatening nature, knowing that he'd gladly show Tyler why the man would want to forget him.

"You're speaking to a friend of mine, Nik, and if you don't be polite …. I'll be very put out." She had started the sentence with intentions of threatening the apple of her eye, when it hit her: she had no leverage. The young woman had just proven to herself and him that she couldn't spend three days without him, so how could any other threat hold any menace? They were too smitten and it was pathetic.

Niklaus seemed to have caught on to her dilemma as well, as he sat down looking very smug.

"I heard about your father." Tyler spoke at last, looking within the depths of her blue eyes. He was such a handsome man, and she could see pretty clearly why she'd been infatuated with him only a year before. His heart was as big as he was- and dang was he! The dark skinned man seemed to have shot up during the months they'd spent apart, as he was hovering almost a foot above her now. "I would've stopped by earlier- I did, actually, but the house was abandoned and I thought you split town."

A formal smile worked its way to her face, the kind that you reserve for family that you barely tolerate and ex lovers. "Thank you. My life has been nothing short of chaotic lately."

Tyler seemed lost for words, unsure how to continue the conversation that he had initiated in the first place. Granted, she wasn't making it easy for him. "Well, I've been thinking about you a lot lately. I'd really like to start hanging out again, maybe we could gallivant around town looking for trouble, like we used to?"

For a brief second, the teenager was transformed back to when she would leave the house late at night and spend it with Tyler. She had felt free back then, but only from the time that the sun went down until it rose again. She had been a metaphorical vampire, trapped in the darkness that had been her life.

The only ones who could cleanse her from the darkness were the same people who relished in their own dark lives. It was ironic but beautiful and she suddenly found herself appreciating that fact in a way that she never had previously. Shaking her head, Caroline let Tyler in on her moment of wisdom: "Once something is lost, it can't be found again. Especially old relationships. People change too much in the time apart."

A somewhat forlorn Tyler bid her adieu after that, and as the blonde watched his retreating figure, she couldn't help but to think that she was finally closing the book on her regular life. It was gone forever, something she'd been having trouble accepting before that encounter.

When she tuned back into the dinner with Niklaus, the man had on a smirk that held the worlds secrets within it. "What?" She questioned simply, self conscious with all this attention being thrown her way.

Niklaus only took a bite of the food he had ordered, his smirk failing to waver even once. "I was simply thinkinkg about how lovely you'll look when you accompany me to my sisters ball."

The blonde rolled her eyes in return, "I'm going to need a better proposal than that." Her smile gave her away, though, and they both knew it.

"Do you?"

With a sigh, the human shook her head. "Of course not. It'll be lovely."

* * *

Crappy ending for a crappy chapter! You guys, I just want to apologize for the wait on this chapter. The climax of the story brought upon a writers block for me, but I'm still soooo excited about everything I have planned. I hope you stay with me, even if my updates are a little more infrequent lately.

I feel as if I'm the worst at writing romance, it's a constant struggle for me. While I'm excited about the Klaroline lovin', I'm dreading writing it. Damn catch 22s.

This chapter is dedicated to **Sara**, who wanted this update more than any other reader by far! Sara, you're the reason I finally forced myself to work through this filler chapter and the reason I'll finish this entire trilogy. Lovely. It's also dedicated to **TopazDragon**, for leaving one of the loveliest reviews I've gotten on this story yet.

I hope everyone holds out faith that this will continue to rock, because I have huge plans.

OH AND THIS SEASON OF TVD y'ALLL! I had the Jeremy storyline predicted like a boss, and I love it a lot. The whole sire-thing has got me up in cahoots, like most Delena shippers, but I think they'll work past it.

There isn't nearly enough Klaroline lovin' yet but 4x07 was almost good enough for me to look past that. I just watched them with a huge shit-eating grin on my face. Guhhhhhh


	11. XI

"_It has always seemed to me that if one falls in love with any gentleman one becomes instantly blind to his faults. But I am not blind to your faults, and I do not think that everything you do or say is right! Only—Is it being—not very comfortable—and cross—and not quite happy, when you aren't there?" _

"_That, my darling," said his lordship,taking her ruthlessly into his arms,"is exactly what it s!" _

"_Oh—!" Frederica gasped, as she emerged from an embrace which threatened to suffocate her. "Now I know! I am in love!"__  
__―__Georgette Heyer__, __Frederica_

* * *

The ball crept up on Caroline faster than she had anticipated. In fact, it was only the next day and she had yet to buy a dress! The blonde teenager was returning from a stroll around her favorite pond when she spotted the luxurious box sitting outside of her modest little hut, the pink wrapping barely noticeable from how far she was away.

Of course, her first thoughts went to Niklaus. Although the man had only given her a jewelry box and drawing, she could feel his generosity in her bones; he was the type who thought that he could buy love.

After taking hold of the hefty box, she retreated into the warm house and lit the fireplace once more. '_Save me a dance_.' The card read, although the god-awful handwriting took the blonde several minutes to decipher; when she did it was pretty easy to figure out who was actually her gift barer. Tyler.

With a distinguishable frown on her pale face, she pulled the lid from the pretty box. The dress that her ex had picked out looked as if it was suited for someone like Rebekah; showy and fabulous. The color matched the box, a pale pink, with jewels scattered throughout the fabric. It was nice, but simply not _her. _

Either way, Caroline knew that the Lockwood's would likely be at the ball and wondering what happened to the_ lovely_ pink dress their son had bought her (with their money, in all likeliness, as they were rich.) She felt obligated to wear it; it was a gift, after all.

Shrugging halfheartedly and shoving the present aside, the woman laid back and relaxed for what felt like the first time in a long time. She hadn't a care in the world at the moment, except maybe her ex boyfriend attempting to regain contact. So randomly, at that. The blonde supposed that he may have felt sorry for her, knowing that all of her close relatives had died.

Or at least put up the pretense of being dead.

Regardless of his agenda, she couldn't help but to feel grateful for the present. While she was dead-set on proving herself to be a capable adult, there was probably much better things that she could spend her new income on. Stocking up on seeds so that she could grow her own food, as opposed to walking into town to buy it or have the Mikaelson's feed her, for one.

Caroline had been ecstatic after her meeting with the local supermarket about her soap; they had no qualms over putting the bars in their inventory, although she had been warned that if people don't know about it, no sales would be made. She had figured this, as she'd done most of the shopping for her father and herself. Supermarkets were crowded little places where you tell you merchant what you want, so that they could get it for you.

Personally, the young woman thought that it would be easier if people fetched their own items and checked out with the merchant, but perhaps she was simply ahead of her time.

Either way, her grand scheme was to start attending church once more and gain sympathy sales from townspeople who had heard of her fathers passing. She knew of no better companion to help her do so than the eternally charming Elijah, whom jumped on the idea.

With a sharp snort, the woman had asked, "What makes you so interested in an establishment of faith?"

The brunette had simply smiled that mysterious smile of his, shrugging in reply. "I'm only interested in your happiness." She could see right through his charming words, though; Eli and her had a bond that was beyond words, she liked to think. The girl's theory was that he felt guilty for almost costing his family their lives, and he wanted to make it up to her.

But who knows, maybe he was just interested in her happiness.

Whatever the reason may be, the man arrived at her hut a mere thirty minutes after she'd discovered her present from Tyler. While she was still trying the monstrosity of a dress on, at that. "Come in," She blonde spoke as she gazed upon her reflection in the dirty floor-length mirror.

"Interesting choice of dress, dear Caroline." The vampire complimented as he passed the threshold of his friends home and eyed her.

"Interesting choice of compliments." She shot back, eying him through the reflection with a glare. After a few playful moments, she relented. "It was a gift."

The tall man approached her cot and examined the card that she had cast aside carelessly. With his head tilted ever so slightly and a small smirk on his face, Eli spoke, "I'm afraid the train will inconvenience his wish for a dance."

Caroline's eyes widened, "As if I was going to grant such a wish! No, no, tomorrow is a night for celebration, and I plan to spend the whole time with my real family." She dismissed, turning from the mirror at last. "I plan to wear this... thing to be nice, but that is all."

The smirk on Elijah's face was more prominent than usual, so much so that he almost looked suspicious. "If we don't leave for church soon, we'll be the heathens who arrive late."

Narrowing her eyes, the human approached her friend and poked his chest suspiciously. "Are you keeping something from me, Dracula?"

His eyebrows shot up in the silliest of manners, "Someone has trust issues."

After only a few moments of scrutiny, she turned and retreated back into her closet to change. "I'm simply perceptive, and I'm positive that you have a secret!" She called over from the other room, returning in a white church dress only moments later. "Will you tie me up?" She muttered without thought, gesturing to her corset as she turned her back to him. When he didn't oblige, Caroline turned to face him to see the hold up.

It took his risen eyebrows and several beats of silence before she realized the hold up. "Eli, you sick creature!" She chastised lightly, hitting his arm and shaking his head. "You've had plenty of time to practice being a gentleman, one would think that you'd have it perfected by now."

Elijah had an amused smile on his face while he fastened her corset strings at last. "It's harder than one might imagine." Their met eyes through the mirrored reflection, and for once the blonde found herself wondering what might have happened between the two if it weren't for his charming brother.

She supposed that they would never know, separating from him quickly after he completed the bow. "Thank you." She muttered, taking a seat on the cot as she slipped on her shoes. "I thought Rebekah was going to come along?"

"She went into town early today, I'm afraid." The two made their way from her house and toward the nearest road; it went without saying that he drove there, they usually drove to town to keep pretenses. Not to mention the fact that she got tired of riding on people's backs, even if it was only for mere seconds.

"Business with the ball, I presume?" Caroline guessed easily, given that the dance was only the following day. When her brunette friend nodded, she couldn't stop the smile that formed on her face. "Did you know that Matt Donovan asked her?"

Eli replied easily, "Indeed, I did. Here's to hoping that he doesn't get on her bad side." Thinking about all the trouble that she and Klaus went through to get revenge on her mother, she couldn't help but to let out a laugh.

"Indeed." She agreed humbly, happy to see the pavement of the road through the treeline. November was approaching quickly, and the days were growing more frigid with each gust of wind. Truthfully, the teenager had no winter wardrobe.

Rebekah would surely notice soon enough and force Caroline to remedy the situation, anyway. She smiled as she noticed the black Oldsmobile parked on the pavement, hopping into the passenger side easily. She was growing accustomed to traveling via car with the vampires and admittedly, she loved it.

She went from being the one walking on the side of the road and feeling like dirt to the one riding in the car that passes by them without a care in the world. Being with the vampires made her feel like she was traveling with royalty, even though she knew that feeling was a farce. She was traveling with the bad guys and reveling in it; there was a major difference. Either way, the darkness was sweet and warm; it embraced her like the family she never had, and that was all Caroline could ask for.

The drive was lovely; the sun was still rising in the sky and streaking through the thick treetops in the most elegant of manners. With the wind blowing throughout her long blonde hair, she found herself thinking that she could get used to this life.

When they finally arrived at the crowded church, people were already taking their seats and getting ready for the service to start. Spotting Rebekah sitting in the first pew was easy enough, her long blonde hair cascading in the most beautiful of manners and her wolfish grin pointed in Matt Donovan's direction.

Suddenly Caroline could guess the _real _reason her sister had gone to town early, and it had nothing to do with the upcoming party. As they hugged in greeting, the blonde sent her friend a pointed look. "Did you finish your business?"

Her smile was wide and innocent, her doe eyes blinking to her best friend easily enough. "Of course, I just had to pick up my dress from the seamstress."

The blonde took a closer look at Matt, eying him from head to toe until she finally spotted it- the bandage on his wrist. Rolling her eyes and taking her seat next to the blonde, she spoke once more, "Really? Where is the dress now?"

Bekah sat beside her easily, Elijah taking his seat on the other side of Caroline. She shrugged happily and threw her newest plaything an exaggerated, almost mocking flirty glance, "Matt is holding it for me until church is over."

With an inaudible gasp, she twisted around to view the human once more and spotted the black dress bag sitting next to him for the first time. "You're incorrigible; the least you could have done is let him sit with us." The human muttered as she turned back to face the front.

The priest had officially entered the building, but before he started preaching the vampire had time to wave her hand toward her friend lazily. "Why ruin all the mystery?"

* * *

On the journey through the forest back to her hut, Caroline passed the time by thinking about a courteous method of telling Tyler that she wasn't interested whatsoever. As she made it through the clearing and spotted, once again, a present on her stoop; she reached the conclusion that there's likely no polite way to turn down someone so persistent.

However, she could tell the second that she got within proper eyesight of the present that it was from a different sender. The last box was a pink, simple one; barely big enough to house such a lengthy gown, whereas this box looked oversized. To be honest, you could probably fit two gowns in the new box. Atop that, there was an expensive looking bow tied around the new gift; a bow tied with a ribbon that she helped Bekah pick out herself mere months ago.

The ribbon perched atop the baby blue box was perfectly tied, and the note card with her name on it was written in the most beautiful of scripts. The very same handwriting that was carved into the side of her jewelry box, at that.

Wit h her stomach doing enough cartwheels for one to confuse it for a little kid doing gymnastics in a meadow, she picked up the box carefully and brought it inside her humble abode. After delicately setting it on her wooden table, she was unable to stop herself from snatching the card from it's place atop the beautiful gift.

"_When taking evening gowns and Sunday mornings into consideration, less is often more. Spend next Sunday with me and let me prove it to you. Your Niklaus._"

No shadow of a doubt crept into his note, and the blonde realized that she loved that about him. He was confident in almost every facet of his life except for the fact that he was a minority. It was heartbreaking.

With the softest of sighs, she neatly placed the card beside the box and undid the beautiful ribbon. Something about the way the perfect bow was unraveling before her reminded Caroline of the two; coming undone together.

The dress that Niklaus picked out for her was spot on when it came to silhouette, color and style. If she was going to be honest with herself, she'd admit that his gown had accomplished all that Tyler's did not; the dress matched her personality perfectly.

The beige tone of the dress was suggestive and sexy in the simplicity. In fact, the color matched her skin tone immaculately; the idea of wearing it before Nik brought a blush to her cheeks. With sleeves that barely covered her shoulders and a square neckline, the design was simple enough to look classy yet sophisticated. The lovely quality of silk felt sinful against her fingers and she knew before even trying on the gown that it would fit like a glove. After all, when did he do anything half-speed? The man surely got her measurements from his sister.

Suddenly, she found herself wishing that she had vampire speed, because nothing sounded more wonderful than seeing _her _Niklaus. Glancing at her barely-operational telephone had the teen considering that tactic as well, but she realized after only a few moments that she had never previously needed their telephone digits!

Sighing softly, Caroline hung the new gown up in her closet, directly next to it's competition. As if the two gowns were in the same league. After nearing her cot, the woman found herself collapsing upon her bed. It was noon at best, but she wanted to sleep the day away so that she could awake in time for the ball. She felt anxious and impatient, excited to show off the dancing skills she had practiced alone for her entire childhood.

She spent the rest of the day keeping busy by making soap and singing aloud any song that she could remember. The young woman took pride in her singing, but only when there was no audience around to appreciate it. She was insecure at the core, something she fought hard to mask and did so almost flawlessly. Almost.

Relaxing days at home were always her favorite as a girl, if her father was out at the tavern especially; now she didn't need to worry about anyone other than herself, and she had to admit that the feeling was freeing. It was also a little lonelier than she had always imagined, but not overwhelmingly so.

Once the sun began to set, she set out on her journey to the Mikaelson manor with her dress in hand. Rebekah had insisted that she spend the night at the manor to have a good old fashioned sleep over before the festivities- and since she wouldn't be sleeping due to excitement either way, the proposal sounded had lovely.

Golden streaks were cast through the sky as the sun finally went down to rest for the night, and Caroline felt an old sort of peace flow through her. As if this was her life, and it couldn't get better than it already was.

Until she thought about the next day, or the century to come with her makeshift family by her side.

The feeling was indescribable, as if she were floating through her life. Perhaps it had been the pain of everything they'd went through, or the unwavering devotion in his eyes finally catching up to her; either way, Niklaus had somehow become an omnipresent person in the woman's life. She felt as if he was with her everywhere she went.

And in a way, he was. He was in her thoughts, at the very least.

The manor was just as ominous as always, but as the blonde looked up at the dark house; all she could picture was the guests laughter and beautiful gowns weaving through the crowded pairs of dance partners. Music and cheers and anything lovely.

"What are we looking at?" A voice whispered quietly, catching Caroline off guard and warranting her to jump from her spot.

Of course Niklaus would be expecting her, "You vampires are insufferable!" She squeaked out after having calmed her heart from it's thundering. Turning back to view their house, she smiled broadly and gestured towards the view. "Why, we're simply imagining what the party will look like. I've never been to one myself."

"Is it a good party?" The hybrid asked aloud, looking at their old, stolen house and seeing only worn brick and dust.

Humming softly, Caroline nodded her head. "The best; the men are red in the face and the women are fairly giggly themselves."

Catching her eye, the man gave one of the most genuine smiles she'd ever gotten from him, "And you?" And he had her. With that simple question; barely two words and a question mark later, and she was his.

Truth be told, Niklaus had been right when they first met. She had fallen for him the moment she first saw him; yet the teenager had never been a believer in love at first sight. Still, who was she to deny the fact that she was instantly drawn to him? They were comfortable around each other in a manner that she'd never experienced before in her life.

"I'm smitten." She answered at last, knowing her response time was fairly late.

The vampire was before her in a flash, merely inches away with the same wolfish grin as always. "About damn time, love." And then his lips were on hers, and she was fairly sure that there was nothing nearly as heavenly.

The last time they had kissed, it suddenly occurred to her, was the day of the stabbing. Getting over such a big thing so early on had somehow brought the two closer, and she was glad that they got over it as friends. It made her want him all the more now.

The pair heard the door opening before Rebekah's voice spoke up, "Ahem, I believe we have a girls night planned, do we not?"

Bekah had long perfected the motherly tone, Eli said it was due to their own mother dying so young. "Sorry, Bekah." The blonde spoke as she parted from the hybrid, clenching her dress tightly in one hand. "And you too, Niklaus." She added shyly, meeting his eyes only once before hurrying to reach the front door.

Although the two didn't see each other again that night, Caroline had the ghost of his kiss to accompany her through all of the girl talk and ball preparation.

* * *

I've been debating whether to attach this with the ball or as it's own chapter; hate giving you guys a bunch of fillers in a row, but sometimes it's needed. Did anyone else love this one though? It's the shortest chapter beside the intro, but I was feelin' the ending.

This is dedicated to the only two people who reviewed on the last chapter, **ilovetvd** and**TopazDragon**! You're both the best. I hope more people remember that this fic is alive and review, cause I always get so anxious when I post ...well, anything. Insecure writers ftw \m/

Topaz- You know, I've never thought about the wolf legends and Klaus for some reason- but that is absolutely perfect. And I have no idea what else to say but I love your tangent-infested reviews more than anything. Only 2 more days until the possibility of more Klaroline, wut wut

ilovetvd- I'd never decided an exact date, but this chapter I finally figured it out: 1908. Cars were just becoming popular for the wealthy or vampire types. Also you're the best hun, js

I'm on a real kick with this, so it wouldn't be dumb of you to expect the ball chapter soon, my lovely readers. Also, hi new followers! Thanks for reading my silly story enough to want more of it


	12. XII

_"Don't underestimate the allure of darkness, Stefan; even the purest hearts are drawn to it."_

-**Niklaus Mikaelson** in Because the Night

* * *

The staircase appeared daunting to Caroline, a girl who could count the number of occasions that she'd worn heels on one hand. Glorious was the entry way below her, however, bustling with house guests and maids alike; more than anything, she longed to be with them. With both hands securely on the railing, the teenager allowed herself to release a breath that she hadn't even been aware she was holding. It was just a staircase, how hard could it be to walk down?

As the blonde steadied her feet and glanced down, she realized that she was more chicken than she had ever imagined. Visions of herself tumbling down their beautiful staircase seemed too plausible, and without another thought on the matter the young girl slipped off both shoes. Bending down quickly to grasp the discarded footwear, the girl habitually glanced around her to see if she'd been caught; an old habit from her time with Papa, she supposed.

Of course, the same handsome face always seemed to catch her. Leaning against the threshold of the living room, her vampire seemed particularly amused at the scene before him. The wood floor felt cool beneath her stockings, a silent reminder to the woman to make her entrance. Sticking her chin in the air slightly, the blonde woman descended the staircase on her tip-toes—the next best alternative to high heels, in her personal opinion.

Niklaus met her at the bottom, a fond look on his handsome stubble-ridden face. When she bent down to put on her shoes, he simply gestured toward the wooden staircase. "Please, allow me." After pausing for a second to consider it, she obliged, sitting rather delicately upon the cold stairs. "I must admit, I gained much enjoyment from your predicament."

Always able to appear confident, the blonde simply smiled innocently toward her companion. "I did live here previously, you must be aware? Back in those days, I would dare to scamper about with no shoes _or_ stockings separating me from your deviously frigid floors."

"How I miss the days." Nik mused as a reply, taking his time to slip her left shoe upon her foot. She hummed out in contentment, his warm hands gently caressing her sensitive feet.

Caroline missed living with the vampires more than she would ever admit out loud, although she would rarely reflect upon the feeling. Visiting and insomnia were the only things that could bring it out; once she allowed the loneliness to take control it was like a tidal wave of sadness.

Living with the Mikaelsons had been warm like a summer day; they were such cold creatures that the comparison seemed odd, even to herself. It was true nevertheless. "As do I." She reluctantly agreed, standing as he finally finished placing her right shoe on.

His usual smirk crept up her devious companions face, "Perhaps you should consider another change of location?"

Blonde eyebrows met her hairline in a second, and the woman found herself scoffing at the man before her. "Oh," She replied, pressing a delicate kiss onto his stubbly cheek. "you're hilarious."

Crestfallen but with his integrity still intact, the man took a step backwards to survey the woman before him. From her clear glass high heels to the dress he had picked out himself, Niklaus wasn't sure he had seen a lovelier sight in centuries. "You look ravishing, sweetheart." In a swift motion, he had bowed slightly to kiss the silk glove upon her skinny hand.

Giggles bubbling from the depths of her throat, Caroline spoke at last: "Flattery will get you nowhere with me, Niklaus." The weight of the words were lost completely due to the laughter in the air, of course. "Perhaps somewhere." She amended in good nature, the joyous atmosphere of the ball already spreading like wildfire.

"I count on it." This comment earned him a light smack on the shoulder, one that he likely didn't even feel. Ignoring the slight outburst, he instead grasped two flutes of champagne from a passing waiter and offered one to his companion.

Accepting the drink graciously, Caroline looked to her right to eye the usual dining room. They had moved their massive wooden table—God knows where they hid the thing- and cleared the space for a dance floor in it's place. As the party was in it's early stages, there was only two pairs of couples on the floor. The line dance looked beautiful with just the pair of them, however, and it took the blonde only a few seconds to realize that one of the couples was Rebekah and Matt.

The pair made their way to the doorway, entering the dining room and glancing around their surroundings. Townspeople were scattered about, drinking and talking in a mild, reserved manner. "It's odd." She mused aloud on accident, realizing it was now her duty to explain the dilemma. Niklaus tilted his head and leaned toward her ever so slightly, obviously interested in her unique perspective to the scene he'd seen a thousand times over. A vibrant red blush crept up the humans cheeks as she explained herself: "In my literature, people at balls are all so carefree and magical. Instead, the attendees here look as if they just attended church on Sunday—which, I don't care if anyone disagrees- is snore-inducing."

The vampire had a genuinely outraged face come the end of her sentence, and took a step back from her side to prove his point. "Did you just allude to the idea that my ball snore-inducing?" His question was more of a demand, spoken in a mock-angry voice that had the girl fighting to hide her smile.

Fighting the smile didn't last as she soon giggled like a child with a crush. Maybe she was one, she tried not to think about it. Taking a step closer to him once more with her mouth hovering inches from his ear, she replied: "More outrageous, I alluded to a Rebekah Mikaelson ball being a bore." Taking a half step back with a shy smile, "Promise not to tell?"

Niklaus gazed at her with a look that seemed solely reserved for her presence, something that stirred more emotions in the pits of her stomach than she knew what to do with. She barely noticed as he took hold of her hand and guided it toward his chest, making an 'X' with her pointer finger where his heart used to beat. "Cross my heart."

She imagined him finishing the sentence in his head, '_hope you die_,' instead of the correct version. As always, her mortality hung above her head like a cloud on a rainy day. She attempted to banish the thought from her mind, but it was harder than one might imagine.

She couldn't help but to wonder if Niklaus even wanted her to turn into a vampire. His siblings had mentioned it time and time again, but it seemed as if he was the only one not thinking about it. Perhaps it was a sign that he didn't want to spend eternity with her, she wasn't sure. Caroline wasn't really positive about anything in her life anymore.

The human glanced to the dance floor and saw her blonde friend sending a glare her way—no doubt over the jab about the ball being dull. Sending a playful smile and a small wave back, the blonde let her eyes wander towards the entrance way once more. More guests were arriving by the second, including the Lockwood family. The awkward interaction that she had been dreading for the entire day was heading straight towards her. Without conscious thought, she took another step back from Niklaus.

His eyes narrowed as he followed her gaze toward the approaching threesome. Silently moving to her side, she was startled when his free hand interlaced with her own. Niklaus and her hadn't been on the 'casual holding of hands' basis, but she knew she had to start somewhere and bit her tongue. Even if he was simply marking his territory.

Tyler looked unhappy from the moment he saw her, and seeing her with Niklaus surely made the whole ordeal worse for the man. "Good evening Caroline," Carol greeted pleasantly enough as they approached the couple, "And you must be Klaus. I've seen you wandering about town but I'm afraid that I've been too busy to say hello."

Niklaus' face was radiant as he spoke to his house guest, a side of him that Caroline rarely got to see. She'd gotten the displeasure of experiencing all his negative attributes before his positive ones. Like impeccable manners, for one example. "I'm sure you're a busy lady, no need to fuss over a family of nomads! I'm simply pleased that you and your handsome family could make it to my sisters ball. She's been looking forward to this night for a long time, and I'm sure your presence will only enhance it..."

The older woman turned as red as a beet, obviously charmed by his handsome face and kind words in the two seconds that he'd spoken to her. "Carol Lockwood, my apologies," she replied as he kissed the back of her hand in greeting. The two Lockwood men stood brooding for a few minutes before she remembered to introduce them, as well. "This is my husband Richard and our son, Tyler."

Niklaus firmly shook Richards hand but instead of doing the same with Tyler, interlaced hands with Caroline once more. "Klaus." Tyler greeted in his toughest voice, a slight growl to it. The testosterone could be cut with a spoon, or even a rock. Anything, really.

After only a few moments of standing awkwardly, she realized by the look on her ex boyfriends face that the transaction couldn't end in such a manner. She was a lady, after all, not some harlot that alludes to feelings only for them to be false. "Tyler, do you mind if I speak to you alone?" She asked finally, causing the Lockwood parents to sigh with relief.

"It was lovely to meet you, Klaus, I'll be sure to thank your sister for throwing the most grand event of the year." Carol spoke politely, walking off with Richard without much hesitation. They weren't anymore oblivious to the awkward situation that just played out before them than the three actually involved.

Caroline didn't look at Niklaus as she dropped his hand and started walking toward the balcony. She wasn't sure if she could handle the look of pure fury more than likely burning through his eyes, nor could she handle the smugness that Tyler likely carried like a prize. When she gave in and glanced behind her, the vampire was gone from his spot- as if he hadn't been there at all.

There were times when her relationship with the Mikaelson family felt like a fever dream, and that moment was one of them. The whole situation was vivid but slightly disheartening, warm but also cold enough to induce shivers. She was constantly having to pinch herself to make sure that she was living in reality and not her active imagination.

As the glass door closed behind the two, the blonde realized for the first time just how cold it had gotten. Snow would be making an appearance any day now, she could feel it in her bones. She walked to the railing that overlooked their spacious backyard and let out a sigh. Tyler wasn't far behind, standing beside her in silence. She wasn't sure how to start this conversation, but it seemed that her companion had no problem doing so. "Care, what are you doing with that guy?"

Her head whipping around in fury, she could only stare at her ex in outrage. She wanted to ask him why it was his business, why he chose now of all times to try to win her back, why he would send a dress without properly asking her to the ball to begin with. More so because he knew who was holding it. She could only stare, however, her heart hammering with anger over his concern. Where was his concern when her father was alive? She was in more danger with him than she ever was with Niklaus.

Minus that time he stabbed her, she supposed.

This was another one of those rare moments that made her wish that she was a vampire. The Mikaelson family never seemed fearful of speaking their mind, nor did they have trouble finding the words. They were extreme versions of themselves, Eli had once explained. Caroline as a human felt too lowly to be noticed, but perhaps she would voice the outrage she felt if she was different.

After opening and closing her mouth a few times, she finally found adequate words. "I appreciated the gift you sent but due to the lack of use, I'm afraid that I'm going to have to return it to you. As for who I associate with, I would appreciate if you kept your unwelcome concern to yourself. It is, after all, unwelcome." As she went to leave, she felt his hand capture her own.

She yanked them apart and turned to inquire over the hold up. Tyler looked desperate, she realized, and far more emotional than she'd ever seen him. It was almost as if he couldn't control his feelings at all, something he used to excel at. "Can you hear yourself? You don't even sound like my Care anymore, you're just... formal and cold, as if you're reading aloud in Sunday school." He spat.

For once, she let her claws come out. "Excuse me for attempting to spare your feelings, Ty! You don't even realize it, do you?" She breathed, almost shaking. "He has my heart. It feels as if the organ never belonged to me in the first place! You're speaking but all I can focus on is the emptiness in my chest and I can't help but to wonder where Niklaus ran off with my heart in tow. Is he treating it delicately? Is he awaiting my return, eagerly watching it beat- or did he forget that he has possession over it?"

Tyler clearly had no words, so she decided to continue for him. "You act as if you have ever cared, and yet you didn't notice that my heart is in the hands of another? You didn't notice the looks that I surely give him when we're in town? If you had ever cared for me, we would've run off into the night like we used to talk about. If you cared for me, you would have come looking for me a hell of a lot sooner than you did! I was away for months before you bothered to ask how I was, bothered to attempt to win me over." She finished the champagne that Niklaus had previously given her, setting the flute on the railing of the balcony. "You have never truly been invested in me, so don't try to start now."

"That isn't fair." He finally spoke, anger obviously building with each word she spoke. "Just because I didn't run off with you, like I'm sure Klaus promises, doesn't mean that I was never invested in your well-being. You were my best friend, Caroline, you still are. That's why I care."

Quickly growing tired of this discussion, Caroline tilted her head thoughtfully. "I think that you're envious. You see how I feel for Niklaus, and it makes you want love so badly that you have to cling to old flings to get it. We weren't in love when we were together the first time, there's no reason to tread muddy water pointlessly."

She turned to leave once more, her hand on the door handle as he spoke once more. "You're comparing my love to mud?" It was a silly question, but his voice was more hurt than she had ever heard it. She dared not look back at the face that surely matched his voice when she replied.

"Yes."

The ball had filled up with guests quickly, now with dozens of couples dancing on the floor beautifully. This scene was more like the kind to match her literature, everyone seemed to be red-faced and jovial. She scanned the crowd thoroughly but didn't find the only person that she was currently concerned about. After taking her second flute of champagne from a server, the blonde set off to search the other areas of the party. The living room was just as electric as the dining room was, but there was still no hybrid in sight.

She took a second to think about her controlling lover. The way that she instinctively knew that he would be mad at her for talking to Tyler. The way he broods. It wasn't so hard to figure out that he went to hide. The blonde found that going up stairs in heels was less of a battle than going down, although the alcohol she'd consumed still made it an interesting journey to the top floor.

The path to his bedroom had long been memorized, and she made her way there with no thought at all. As she stood before his cherry wood door, the girl found herself shivering. An extremely cold breeze was drifting from under the door frame, and her curiosity won out over her polite urge to knock.

The doors to his balcony were open, but Niklaus was perched at his drawing table. Caroline slipped out of her shoes once more and walked across the room to softly close the adjoining doors. She realized that he didn't have a concept of weather, but she sure did. She paused suspiciously as she realized that the balcony on the first floor was directly below his own, a small smile forming on her face. "Were you eavesdropping?"

The vampire glanced up as if he had only just noticed her, although they both knew it was a ruse, "I'm offended you think so lowly of me. I was simply enjoying the cold weather."

"You don't feel the weather." She felt compelled to point out softly.

Niklaus frowned, as if he was genuinely surprised by this revelation. "Perhaps I was listening in after all." He contended shamelessly.

The blonde gave him a small smile as she took a seat on his massive bed, tucking her legs beneath herself and sipping on the flute of alcohol. "You're intolerable." She spoke, although frankly, she was hardly surprised. "Did you hear anything of interest?"

She blinked and then there he was, close enough that she could feel the warmth of his werewolf gene pulsing through his body. He was on his knees beside his own bed, eye level to the slouching girl. "Indeed." He spoke, his eyes looking into her own and causing her to shiver. "It inspired me to draw you a picture. Would you like it now?"

Caroline couldn't really find the words without sounding too enthusiastic, so instead she nodded vigorously. The parchment that he put in her hands was heavy, it looked ancient compared to the paper she often saw every day. The picture was simple enough, a large human heart done in charcoal, but it was an emotional drawing without question. The heart was dried up, as if it hadn't pumped blood in a very long time, and it was being cradled by a pair of dainty hands that could only be her own. The background image was a brick pattern, as if the young girl had reached above the wall that the vampire put around his heart.

"Niklaus." She peeped out, unsure what else to say.

Gently, the man traced her jaw line and gazed upon her face. "Mikael used to say my name as if it poisoned him." He admitted, "At one point I thought that I would despise it for the rest of my never ending life, but I never could have anticipated _you_."

The human responded by looking into his eyes, "I will cherish this picture, your name and your actual heart for the rest of my mine. I've yet to meet another that makes me feel as much as you do. Good or bad, it's always something."

With a small smile, the hybrid stood and held out his hand. "Shall we return to the ball? It's your first, we can't afford to miss a second."

The laughter from below echoed through the hallway and into Niklaus' room, but Caroline felt no desire to join the party. "The point of a ball is to be social, but I'm afraid there is no one I'd rather spend this time with. Perhaps we could just sit here and talk?" She finished her second glass of champagne with a light gulp and looked at him pleadingly. The last thing she needed was to put on those heels again.

Niklaus surprised her by pressing a very simple, chaste kiss on her lips. It was innocent and so different than him as a person that she froze in her spot, taken completely back. "I'll fetch us some more champagne. Be back before you can blink." He promised, although she knew that he couldn't actually super speed to the kitchen. There were too many wandering eyes.

Caroline made herself comfortable in his massive bed as he was away, tucking herself into the center and pulling the covers up to her stomach. His room was still freezing from when he was listening in, but she tried not to notice as she stared at the parchment in her hands. He'd given her as much of himself that he could at the moment, but she had to wonder if she'd ever get all of him. After all, his trust issues were obvious.

She realized that her mind felt slightly clouded, and that the alcohol was likely catching up to her. She'd never been drunk before, had never particularly wanted to be, but the idea of being free of inhibitions when she spoke to this man seemed too good to pass up. There were many things that she often desired to ask him, but she always lacked the courage. It was a funny revelation for her to have. When did she begin to care what he thought of her? When they first met, she would spout the first insult that came to mind and actually mean it. Now they were a habit, they held no menace. Perhaps they never did.

When she glanced toward the doorway, she realized that the vampire had already returned. He was holding an open bottle of champagne and gazing at her as if she was an animal in the wild- majestic, just out of reach. It warmed her in a way that his thick duvet did not. "Hello." She smiled simply, setting the parchment delicately on the end table to her right.

Niklaus gave his signature wolfish-grin as he kicked the thick door closed and made way toward his bed. "What brings a pretty girl such as yourself to such a bad part of town?"

Her eyes were bright as she met his, "Doesn't look like such a bad place to me."

The vampire surprised her by getting under the covers as well, sitting beside her so that their legs were pressed against the other. He took a swig of the bottle before offering it to her, which she gratefully accepted. They proceeded to take turns taking swigs and sitting in silence. She enjoyed the fact that they didn't need to fill the silence, as she often felt pressured to do.

However, they quickly polished off about half the bottle, and the more she drank, the more she wanted to talk about –well, anything, frankly. "Sorry if this is inaparo—inapproprate- I mean inappropriate." She took a second to compose herself, as he was laughing silently and she was as red as a lobster.

"Go on." He encouraged with a grin, obviously not as deterred by her tied-tongue as she was.

"I've been thinking about this a little," hiccup, "and if you can stay alive without killing... why do it? Like, is that a raunchy thing to you or..." Hiccup. "I just don't see the purpose."

Niklaus took his time to answer, taking several swigs of the alcohol in the process. "It's been a long time since I was human. I suppose I had forgotten that there was a reason to let someone live." The unspoken 'until you' hung in the air as he offered her the champagne. She declined, knowing that if she was drunk enough to feel dizzy when she was still seated, she'd probably had her limit.

"So you can drink without killing them? Theoretically." She asked, curiously. When he nodded, she was silent for a little while. Debating if she wanted to continue. The booze told her to, so she did. "Well maybe the next time you're hungry you could ask me. I just mean, if you can't find a reason to save your victims lives... well, we could just make sure you don't have victims to not save anymore. I trust you. You wouldn't kill me if you could help it and I just want to help people and you and..." The blonde was cut off by the hybrids lips on her own.

"You're far more beautiful than you realize, Caroline. You radiate goodness," Niklaus began, his eyes locking with hers, "It makes me long to be a different person."

The blonde shrugged simply, "If you don't like yourself, change. But just know that I like you even with your flaws."

Niklaus didn't reply, and when she glanced up at his face, she was troubled by what she saw. He looked closed off, as if his mind was in some far off land that held only misery and despair. "Where did you go?" Her words were running together, but she couldn't care less. In fact, she rather liked the feeling.

He eyed her with a neutral expression, "Farther into the past than is necessary."

She snuggled into his side, wrapping an arm around his midsection and resting her head where his heart would beat, if it did. "Will you tell me it? Hearing your past is like hearing a bed time story, they're really grand and dramatic and kinda sad, but the good kind. The kind that makes me understand why you act the way you do."

"I hardly want you to fall asleep on me, sweetheart, this is the most open you've been with me since we met."

"I wonder why." She spoke sarcastically. He smirked at the fire within her, hidden beneath her normally cool facade. "I promise not to fall asleep." She finished, although even as she spoke, her eyes drooped slightly.

"When I was still human," He started, which caught her attention enough for the girl to sit back up in her seat. She couldn't imagine this man human, so any indication of who he was before the change, the better. He took a shaky breath, changing how he wanted to approach the story. "We used to have another brother, Henrik. Has Elijah ever mentioned him?" When she shook her head, he huffed. As if the idea was an outrage. She frowned, sobering up quickly, and pressed an encouraging hand on his forearm.

"Henrik and I got on well. He was the only one of my family to understand me. That I could be mischievous without being a failure or an abomination. We would take off into the woods together whenever the moon was full to watch the werewolves turn. It was our tradition, our signature of rebellion. We were meant to steer clear of the wolves altogether, but my fascination with them never ceased. Henrik took interest because I did." With a sad smile, he recalled: "He looked up to me for guidance."

He didn't talk for a long time after that, and Caroline knew better than to push him to. As the guests began leaving below, she could more clearly hear the music that was still echoing through the house. Caroline abruptly climbed out of his bed and stood beside him with an outstretched hand. "Please dance with me." She knew that he was recalling a dark time in his life, but that was all the more reason for him to accept her invitation.

He did. Soon, they were slow dancing to echoing sounds of the pianist from the foyer. "How did it happen?" She asked gently after several minutes had passed. His hold on her waist tightened significantly. Not enough to hurt her, exactly; it felt as if he was either hugging her or trying to protect her from the world. She wasn't sure which it was, or if it was both.

"One night when we went to see the full moon, I was the only to return."

Caroline stopped their swaying at once, stepping back so that she could look into his eyes. When Klaus looked away, she gripped his chin tightly and forced his gaze onto her. It made sense to her now, why he brought up this story. "What happened was not your fault."

"It was."

"Nik. You have to listen to me: it was a terrible accident. You didn't kill your brother. You didn't." When he didn't reply, opting to look at his feet instead, the girl had to pause. "Is there more to the story?"

The words came trembling out, as if he had been waiting for someone to ask him that question his entire life. His entire 900 years. She couldn't imagine holding self-hatred in for so long, but she knew it couldn't be pretty inside his beautiful mind. "We were spotted and fleeing; the next thing I know, he trips. The most graceful member of our family trips! After realizing what happened, I turned and watched the whole thing. There was a five or six second window to save him but instead I just watched as that thing, that thing that could have possibly been my father, rips his flesh." His eyes were cold, just like they were the first time they met each other, when he gazed into her blue eyes. "Now tell me again that it wasn't my fault."

Caroline had never been more sincere as she searched his eyes for the warmth that she knew was hiding somewhere, "It wasn't, Niklaus." He scoffed and broke apart from the girl, turning to pick up the alcohol and take a swig once more. "Please don't shut me out. I'm not saying what you want to hear." She pleaded, "I wouldn't lie to you." This caught his attention enough for her to continue, "You were weak when your brother died," She started—causing him to cringe- "but we're made weak so that we can grow stronger. Henrik, God rest his soul, saw the good in you, just like I do. Don't prove him wrong just because you can't see yourself accurately."

It would appear that Niklaus was speechless. Instead of saying anything, he walked up to his companion and kissed her more passionately than she'd ever been kissed in her life. He kissed her as if he would die without doing it. Like she was the oxygen in his lungs. Did he have oxygen in his lungs? An inquiry for another time, because she had no oxygen in her own at the moment. In fact, she was surprised that she was still functioning at all.

When they broke apart, it would appear that the thought of Henrik was far from his mind. "I have a surprise for you."

Glancing toward his drawing, the girl couldn't help a smile from forming. "Another one? Is it Christmas already?"

Niklaus simply grabbed a throw blanket from his closet and wrapped her shoulders with it, leading her towards his balcony. It was a spacious stone overhang and he had set up a makeshift bed with five or six expensive looking blankets on the cold ground. It was absolutely lovely, so she told him so. "This isn't the surprise." He whispered, waiting until they were wrapped up in each other on the floor before continuing. "That is."

Above head were what appeared to be millions of shooting stars all falling from above at once. Her eyes widening, Caroline had to ask: "are we safe or is the world ending?" She had never seen more than one or two shooting stars per night, and the sight above was breathtaking- but frankly, a tad alarming.

"You'll always be safe with me." It was in that moment that she decided to believe him. Completely. After all, if she didn't believe in him, how could he ever learn to believe in himself?

* * *

Dskfskjfhjskhfdjsdfh! YOU GUYS! The stills from tomorrows episode of TVD got me to write this entire chapter in a day, and I'm honestly in love with it. It's better than I ever envisioned this chapter going, to be honest, which is nice because it was daunting. I've been dying to bring up Henrik since I started this story, I honestly think his death shaped Klaus in a way that isn't often caught by people. I really really hope you guys like this, I just...I'm really proud of it. We're finally almost done with this story, there's only five or six more chapters to go. Bittersweetness is bittersweet.

Loving the Klaroline in the last episode of the show though! Do you think we'll get a good amount in the next one or no? I'm hopin' that they wrap this season up with heavy Klaroline, so they can go do badass things together in the spin off!

This chapter is for my 48 followers (48 PEOPLE LIKE MY STORY ENOUGH TO GET EMAILS ABOUT IT THIS IS BIG FOR ME OK) as well as my reviewers, because you guys are some of the funniest, sweetest, most lovely people out there.** MysteryDream3, TopazDragon, LilBookworm89, MyBrokenButterfly, ilovetvd, Sara **and **nicaha23** are so great for encouraging me to continue this ridiculous epic.

Also, does anyone have good Klaroline recs? I'm really picky about grammar and stuff, so I hate sorting through the search...idk if you know any or are writing one HOLLA don't be modest.


	13. XIII

_"The hunt isn't sustaining me. It's flowing blood that I really crave. The sweet taste of red succulent liquid mixing with the salt of my beloved as it drips and dances on his flesh. To know that someone will ache for me as much as I hunger for him and eternally satiate each other. I want someone to satisfy my hunger forever." _

— **Ellen Schreiber**, Vampireville

* * *

The hard balcony floor didn't seem quite so bad to Caroline Forbes as she slowly allowed herself to wake up the next morning. She had fallen asleep watching the shower of stars in her own vampires arms, and she would be lying if she tried to deny the fact that it had been the best night of her life. Niklaus held her until sleep couldn't be fought any longer- all the way until when she awoke once more. In fact, it was his own awakening that brought hers.

The man was obviously trying to move the young girl without disrupting her, but the second that his plan had backfired she made a point of gripping his stomach with even more vigor. "Where are you fleeing to?" She demanded through her sleepy haze.

There was only a few seconds pause before he spoke, "Breakfast." The one word answer had the girl sitting up in her seat as well, rubbing the sleep from her deep blue eyes. Niklaus never ate breakfast with her when she was a prisoner; truthfully, she could probably count the number of times that she's seen him eat actual food on one hand. Breakfast meant something else for the vampire, obviously.

Heat rose to the blondes cheeks as she recalled her blunt offer of blood the night prior. As true as the words had been, recalling the event in the harsh light of day brought back regret for her tactlessness. Niklaus hadn't waited for her to awaken, as he was already up and walking back into the depths of his own room. She was quick to jump on her feet and follow him- mostly because without his presence, the weather was too frigid to withstand. She remembered to take the blanket he had wrapped around her shoulders inside the house with her, firmly closing the adjacent doors behind her.

A sigh of disappointment made its way to the humans throat when she realized that the room she had retreated to was empty. Niklaus hadn't seemed opposed to her offer the night prior, so why would he leave without bringing the subject up once more? Glancing down, the girl realized that she was still wearing the gown from the night before as well. Sleeping in corsets wasn't the most comfortable, so she was quick to close the hallway door and untie the strands.

Truthfully, Caroline had never talked about the feeding part of the vampire phenomenon with any of her companions. She wasn't sure how long it took him to hunt his meals, or if he would even be interested in her offer of blood at all. Did they simply look at their food as just that: a meal? Did they have no desire to mix survival with pleasure? For some reason, the blonde had always imagined that the two would be linked. Perhaps Niklaus realized how inexperienced and awkward she was. Perhaps he simply didn't desire her.

After all, the man had been a perfect gentleman. She knew that she had requested it, but she hadn't caught a single stray glance.

Perhaps she simply didn't tempt him.

She continued to loosen the gown until she could successfully slip it down her hips and step out of the fabric. She draped the material over the back of a chair, as well as the slip that she pulled over her head. Perhaps she should have felt exposed by lounging around Niklaus' room in the nude, but the woman didn't consider the possibility that he would return quickly. When the vampires went on hunting trips, they would be gone for the upwards of two hours.

It wasn't until the blonde stripped did she realize that she wasn't certain where the man kept his clothing. Due to his lack of a dresser, she eventually made way to the door next to his bathroom. His closet was bigger than her hut, a fact that actually had her giggling to herself. The man was so vain, he owned almost as much clothing as his sister did! Elijah was a sharp dresser as well; she imagined that she would be appalled by his collected to boot.

After taking hold of an off-white shirt with enormously long sleeves and pulling it over her head, she found her curiosity taking hold of her. The man had stacks and stacks of books on the wooden floor of his closet; she could tell from the shape and size that they were likely sketchpads, as opposed to actual literature. The girl went to sit but found herself underestimating the distance to the floor; instead, she plopped ungracefully onto the hardwood. Groaning softly, she couldn't help but to rub her rear. The wood had collided with her tail bone at an excruciating angle.

Recovering quickly, she retrieved a random book from the pile. Caroline wasn't positive what she was expecting from the sketch book, but she didn't feel particularly surprised when she opened it to find portraits of naked women. They were beautifully done, and very artistic, but the sights still made her heart clench. That must be why the man didn't seem particularly interested in her body or blood. How could he be, when he'd had so many girls more beautiful than her in the past?

As much as it hurt, she flipped page after page for what felt like hours. "Caroline." As much as she hated it, the woman jumped at the random arrival of Niklaus. It felt like hours that she'd been torturing herself with the pictures, but she knew that it had been minutes at most. How had he hunted so quickly? She kept her back turned and her head down, staring at a particular girl who had been in several drawings. The American had never been to Europe, but she imagined the model to be French. Her dark hair and full lips represented everything the blonde was not. Experienced and sensual. "Are you upset?" The man asked in bewilderment, unsure how to take the beautiful woman crouched on the floor of his closet.

She had to shake her head to clear the thoughts of self doubt that plagued her. "Of course not, Nik, these are beautiful." She responded softly, placing the book back into the spot that she originally found it in. After standing, she felt fairly proud of herself for choosing a shirt long enough to engulf her almost completely. The hem ended about mid-knee, almost passing off as a night gown of her own. Given her new found self-consciousness, anything shorter may have given the girl cause for concern. She turned to face him stiffly, pressing a chaste kiss on his lips as a greeting before going to move past him.

The man had her wrist in his hand in an instant and when she looked up from the sudden movement, she was surprised to see him in front of her. He was close enough that their noses might touch, if either wanted them to. Instead, he simply maintained eye contact. "We've made it habit to speak truthfully to one another, sweetheart. Why break tradition now?"

The human eyed the gold platter that was set delicately on the edge of his bed, an assortment of meat and fruits. "Breakfast as in breakfast for me?" She asked, unable to stop the surprise in her voice from creeping up. Niklaus was possibly the most selfish man that she'd ever met, and the idea of him wanting her to eat before him touched her... more than necessary, probably. His first thought that morning hadn't been for himself, but her.

She heard him sigh as he released her wrist from his hold and couldn't help but to smile over his patience for the human. "Yes, well. Word around the street is that you mortals need it to survive. I imagine it would also help you nurse yourself back to health." It took the blonde a few seconds to realize why she would be ill in the first place. Now that he mentioned it, her stomach did feel queasy, although she was easily able to ignore the frustrating sensation before.

Caroline climbed into his massive bed once more, her legs slipping merrily into the cool cloth of his sheets. It wasn't until she pulled the platter onto her lap and picked up a piece of steak to eat did she dare look at Niklaus once again. It was a sight that made her heart ache, to be quite honest. He was so handsome that it should be illegal and he was looking at her in a peculiar manner. The very look that he always reserved for her, as if he was trying to memorize every detail before she vanished.

He hadn't moved an inch since she dodged his question, and the woman knew that he wouldn't ask again. He expected her to be as honest with him as he had been since her stabbing. She could understand that, but that didn't mean that sharing her insecurities were any easier. "I would prefer to not talk about it at the moment, but I'm not upset with you. I really appreciate the gesture that you made with breakfast." She spoke with warmth in her voice at last, knowing that he would not bulge until she said something to convince him.

After a few moments of brooding, the man joined her in bed. "I must admit that my reasoning for breakfast in bed wasn't completely selfless." He spoke soon after, the familiar look of jovial mischief on his face. Caroline wasn't convinced that Klaus could be truly happy unless he was doing something mischievous in one way or another.

Her head tilted and her eyes peeking up from her plate, the girl popped a grape in her mouth before speaking. "You've caught my attention." Her voice, she knew, urged him to go on.

Niklaus shrugged nonchalantly, "I was simply hoping to eat after you've finished." She could see the insecurity behind the statement, that it was actually more of a question than a statement. It only occurred to her then that he might have thought that she had forgotten her proposal. It was likely that he was afraid that she'd react negatively.

A smile made its way onto her face, "Alright."

As she finished consuming the food that he had laid out for her, she couldn't help but to let her thoughts wander. When the idea of Niklaus feeding on her was simply that, an idea, it didn't seem like a bad one. However, knowing that it would happen at any moment made her stomach flutter and her hands to moisten. What if it hurts? She asked that question aloud, knowing that he would have some way to reassure her. The man was very good at doing just that.

Her hybrid took his time to mull the question over, "Pain and pleasure are so closely linked that you may enjoy it." He spoke, tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. "However, if you're nervous, I could try to compel the pain away."

They both knew that compulsions were iffy on the woman, but perhaps if she wanted to follow the order, it would work. A delicate hand over her heart, the girl simply had to ask. "Can you hear how quickly my heart is beating? It's as if it's working extra hard just for you."

Niklaus shook his head in bewilderment once more. "Caroline Forbes, you utter the most enchanting phrases."

Moving the tray aside, Caroline straightened her back and cleared her throat. "Will you compel me?"

The man moved toward her on the bed so that his legs were straddling her own from above the duvet. After contemplating their positions for a moment, he gently took hold of her waist and rolled so that she was atop him instead. Doing so, due to her being under the bedding, tangled the two in his sheets. Neither particularly minded as he stared deeply into her eyes, "This will not hurt a bit." She repeated the phrase in her mind, attempting to reinforce it as opposed to fighting it.

They simply stared at each other for a very long time until she finally broke the silence. "I'm ready." She peeped, her voice shaking just enough for her to be sure that he noticed. Much to her dismay, the man didn't follow her command. He continued to stare at her instead, relishing in her beauty as she gazed down upon him.

Klaus took hold of her left arm, previously resting near his abdomen, and placed a gentle kiss on her wrist. The motion caused her to flinch and it wasn't until she recognized the familiar mischievous expression that she realized just how much he enjoyed this. Her racing heart, her heating core. His ability to make her feel feminine and sensual was quite remarkable, especially considering the fact that she had never been either of those things in her life.

In a flash, the two were flipped once more. This time the vampire properly fixed the bedding issue, pulling the woman under the covers with him. He was atop her once more, her arms pinned over her head with one of his own. Warm breath tickled her neck, teasing her with his flirtatious actions. Somehow, as if it was even possible, her breathing got heavier. His gentle caress began at her cheek and slowly dragged its way down her body, causing goosebumps to raise over her skin at his soft touch.

After his large shirt became a hindrance, the man took the liberty of freeing her hands from his tight grip. "Remove my shirt, love." He sat and watched as she wordlessly followed his lead, stripping his shirt from her body and relishing in how hungry his eyes looked. There was no way that he didn't mix survival with pleasure, the girl decided at last.

She leaned back into his comfortable pillows, this time throwing her arms above her head and holding them there on her own free will. Niklaus was looked down at her with a pleased expression, and it wasn't long before the man leaned forward to capture her lips with his own. Caroline had been caught off guard, her mouth open just slightly enough for the sneaky bastard to gain access. The two began a battle of dominance with their tongues, each relishing in the sensation.

The blonde had certainly never felt so strongly from a kiss before, as she was soon moaning into it. She was both shocked and aroused at the feeling of Niklaus growing hard against her leg. The man shamelessly grinned as she paused their kiss due to surprise, and relished in her innocence. As he leaned back once more, the man decided to relish in the sight before him, as well.

Her perfectly taunt breasts looked beautiful as she laid sprawled out before him; Caroline in general looked beautiful naked. After telling her so and pressing light kisses down her collar, the vampire took her left nipple into his mouth, his nimble fingers tweaking her right skillfully. The light biting reminded the human of the real objective, but only enough to arouse her all the more. Would he break skin on her breast? Surely the blood flow would be poor, but her fear of pain nearly evaporated due to the intense pleasure.

No one had ever touched her like this, and the fact that Niklaus was the first made the whole thing more explosive. It was as if he was awakening something inside her that she had never realized was there. A vixen and a temptress, just like those women he had drawn in the past. She was too far gone to care that she was comparing herself to his past lovers. Soon, the man broke from his suckling. Lightly, he blew on the newly moist nipples.

Through lidded eyes, she watched in amazement as her brown specks grew even harder before him. "So responsive." The man breathed out, his voice barely above a whisper, as if in a trance. "Tell me Caroline, has any one touched you before?" He spoke the sentence sinfully, and she knew without asking to which body part he was referring. Unable to catch her breath, the woman shook her head instead. The same smirk as always appeared, "Well, I shan't break the record." He replied, taking hold of each of her knees and holding them up. The man aligned his clothed dick against her own clothed genitals, letting the friction work it's magic as he finished the sentence shallowly in her ear, "yet."

The thin cloth of their underwear molded to their bodies, desperately attempting to become one even with obstacles in the way. The pressure against her clit felt amazing, and Caroline let out a long moan of pleasure as Niklaus finally bit into her carotid artery. The sensation was different than she imagined; while she had thought that it would feel like he was sucking the life from her, it was actually quite the opposite. The young woman wasn't sure the last time that she'd felt quite so alive.

Pulling back rather abruptly after several minutes, the vampire looked deeply into his companions blue eyes. "Why were you upset earlier?" He demanded. In fact, he more than demanded, he compelled her.

The hazed woman didn't think before answering, as she'd just had the most sexual experience of her entire life. "Those beautiful women. How could I compare?" She spoke simply, before her eyes widened significantly and a hand flung to her mouth. A sharp glare made its way to her face, "That wasn't fair."

Caroline wished that it bothered her that she was still trapped in his embrace, his hands holding her legs at a ridiculous angle and his hard cock throbbing just as painfully as her own parts were. The vampire tsk'd at the teenager as he leaned down to lick up the excess blood that was oozing from her neck, grinning to himself as he elicited another moan from his partner. "What isn't fair is the fact that you truly believe that, sweetheart."

When the man leaned back, separating the two completely this time, he looked deeply into her eyes once more. "You are the most beautiful creature I have ever beheld." To signal the end of their conversation, he took a bite of his own wrist and offered it to the woman. She drank until she could feel herself healing, and then broke off with a foul face. Blood definitely wasn't as much of an aphrodisiac for her as it was for the undead.

After quickly throwing his shirt on once more, she couldn't help but to smile fondly. "How often do you feed again?" She inquired as she wiped the excess blood from her neck. "I could definitely grow accustomed to that."

* * *

I hate making you guys wait, so if I'm lucky enough to get on a roll, I've been trying to go with it. I have a love-hate relationship with lemons. I love them in stories but I hate to write them. Usually. This scene wasn't so bad. I really enjoy writing innocent!Caroline, although she is going to embrace her newly discovered sexuality in the next few chapters.

That had to be my favorite Vampire Diaries episode since... I don't even know! Alaric! Elijah was perfect in it, and although I love Katherine, I don't really ship her with anyone. I just can't trust her like Eli can. However, that Elena and Elijah kiss was_ hothothot._ I ship them so hard, and I usually hate Elena with people. I just feel like they compliment each other really beautifully. OBVI THE KLAROLINE WAS SPOT ON- THAT SMILE AT THE END GUHHH.

Which reminds me, Elijah and Car get to bond soon. I enjoy their dynamic a lot. I am excite.

This chapter is for** rachel-69746, ak269** and** ihobbitses**. Reviews are like crack to me, I will literally refresh my email 100 times a day to see if I got any. Obviously I cherish the ones that I do get.


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